Yuta Takuman’s Tokyo Maze

The first time Yuta Takuman stepped off the subway, he was captivated by the urban, maze-like labyrinth that was Tokyo. The train tracks ran like tubes underground that connected to each other. The iconic Tokyo Tower stood tall among the urban sprawl. A sight to remember has been immortalized into a sneaker.

Nike’s Air Max: Tokyo Maze is Yuta’s love letter to the city. Covered with lines that zig-zag and criss-cross, and a red air cushion that represents the Tokyo Tower, this design captures the vision to a tee.

What’s in the Box?

Immediately upon receiving my package, I was greeted by the Nike: On Air logo.With excitement I opened the box and found that the tissue paper had the 6 locations from the On Air contest. Alongside this was an On-Air postcard that simply stated, “No maze, No Life.” As soon as I saw the amount of effort was put into even the smallest detail, I felt like I had something special.

The shoes came with four extra sets of laces, and three sets of patches. I personally prefer the rainbow laces that already come with the shoe, but love the fact that we are given so many different accessories and options to personalize the shoe even further.

How Bout Those Shoes

Yuta’s vision of Tokyo truly shined through. The embossed lines are crisp and pop out. The way the patterns are flipped between the left and right pair gives a feeling of almost controlled chaos that is seen in the streets of Tokyo. The red air cushion doesn’t feel excessive within the black sole, and the rainbow laces are just the right amount of colorpop craziness.

No Maze, No Life

To be completely honest, I almost did not vote for these. When I first saw these shoes last year I was thrown off by it. It felt like the design was just too messy. But as time went on, I grew to appreciate the design choice and ended up voting for it in the end. I am glad that I did because these may be one of my favorite shoes from this year.