I wear geta all the time it's true... if you walk by falling into your steps, its hard to maintain the geta or prevent the front of the geta from hitting the ground. Wearing then and walking in the Japanese manner also works out the muscles on the inner parts of your legs, especially the thighs.
Europeans walked differently than we do nowadays before also there are documentaries about it. It is all based on the shoes and the design of them or lack of. Also clothing matters.
Yup, toe first, to feel, to balance then set the heel. If you walk barefoot, you both build the muscles in your foot, and learn to balance depending on what you step on. I walk on gravel without problems, nor are sharpstones or pinecones an issue since while you step on them, you simply reshape and put your weight on the parts of the foot not in contact with those uncomfy objects.
Actually, it's based on imitating the more upright African. White folks have to learn and practice walking on two feet. Africans mostly do it naturally.
Europeans often notice how some white American women walk with their toes pointed out. And sometimes with a wild arm-swing, as if walking in the street is a competitive sport. I remember seeing some old movie (may have been with Kathleen O’Sullivan) where a young girl character is actually instructed to point her toes out “like a lady”, and not walk with her toes facing forward “like an Indian” .
Muslims got a whole yoga + meditation + reciting session in their everyday lives minimum 5 times a day. Shalat. Prayer. So if it's Japanese muslim back then, they got a lot stuff to do for their body and mind there😮
Medieval Europeans apparently used to walk in a similar tentative way, before the development of thick-soled shoes. The way most of us walk today, putting our weight down hard on the heel, would have been very dangerous in an environment littered with sharp stones and pieces of dead wood.
Walking in the heel is wrong and unhealthy, and only happens because of bad footwear an posture. Just look how a foot is shaped. If you strike at the center the bridge of your foot will absorb the force and generate force for the next step perfectly. Look at indeginios people in the rainforest who will sprint about the woods barefoot. Of course they also build cornea to harden the skin.
As someone who is mostly barefoot at home, I can attest that I walk on my toes for this reason. There's less of a chance of getting splinters or discomfort from rocks when doing this. Otherwise, I'll put my shoes on if I'm going to be outside more often. Though I should also note that I have HFA (high functioning autism) and apparently toe-walking has been observed in people on the spectrum.
I have a friend who is half Japanese. She always walked like that as we grew up together and still does. Her walk is more subtle though. I’m glad I watched this because now I understand that she was probably mimicking her Japanese mother and grandmother. Very interesting.
Lafcadio Hearn who you quote at the start is an amazing author and possibly the first Weaboo. He was a Greek man who came to Japan and loved it so much he spent the rest of his life there in the late 1800's early 1900s. He chronicled Japanese folklore and is one of the reasons that Yokai had a resurgence in notoriety during the 20th century. There are many collections of his writing that all deal with one of two subjects - his own writings on Japanese culture/his experiences in Japan, and his editions of folklore. There are many versions of Japanese stories that he wrote down which would not have been saved in the modern age without him as many weren't written down just passed down through the generations. His folklore collections are great reading!
Yes, I read much of his work many years ago. Wonderful how he translated and wrote down so many Japanese tales that would otherwise have been lost. He must have been a fascinating man.
I am an American Kendoka, and found this to be really insightful for my training. In kendo we shuffle and have a similar if not slightly more exaggerated shifting of our weight forward. Its quite efficient, and you can make quicker adjustments mid stride because your feet are closer to the ground. This makes even more sense if this was also a method for walking in general life. Its hard sometimes being so removed from Japan when trying to learn Kendo, and often feels like we're missing bits and pieces of common information learned in Japanese childhood/daily life. Never the less, Kendo is amazing, and I can't imagine myself stopping. Thanks for the awesome video 👍
This style of walking is a condensed version of the mid-foot and/or fore-foot ground contact running styles of the best long distance runners in the world.
I have walked this way because of years of ballet training. Small steps with most of the pressure on the balls of my feet instead of the heel. I wear kimono at home to relax, but you must walk this way when wearing this style of clothing, so the front doesn't open up with the first stride. It also makes it look like you are floating, instead of actually walking when you walk this way in kimono.
wooden slippers + kimono (very movement restrictive clothing) = this walking style Western shoes/boots + pair of pants = walking style that alowes your entire leg to move
Who knew that a video and comment section about how people of different cultures used to be walk compared to today could be so fascinating? I am learning so much, I didn’t know there were so many different walking styles, I thought everyone just walked heel first because it was what came naturally, it certainly does for me and everyone else I know, this makes me wanna look into this more.
@@GeorgeeJunglee I remember the Edo period well. Lots of raspy screaming, intense vocal power & a great frontman. *Accept* was never the same after he left Oh wait, that was the *Udo* period I was thinking about.
Oh, that's better than what I had. I was thinking about Red being upset when Deebo took his chain. "He gonna cry in the car..." th-cam.com/video/0yW5XUGJsOU/w-d-xo.html
I wish they still did! Slow walkers, especially groups of slow-walking people taking up the entire sidewalk, made it a challenge to get around Tokyo when I lived there.
I assumed this practice was partially due to the desire to not make impacts while walking on wooden floors in buildings where others may be sitting on or sleeping on the floor in other rooms in the building, so to not disturb others. Also the shoes, wearing shoes with no bend and no cushion and almost no attachment to ones foot, shuffling on the balls of your feet is the only way
You’re supposed to walk on the front of your feet to maintain foot arch health. In the west with heeled boots being our traditional foot wear, we forget to do this, as those shoes forced it to walk comfortably. So with modern cushioned shoes we heel slam because it doesn’t cause pain like in heeled leather boots.
Do you realize a lot of natives in warmer regions didn't and still don't wear any shoes at all and walk normally. Have you ever run barefoot, in summer when not working I'm always barefoot or using sandals, heck even in winter inside. There is nothing that makes you walk toe first. That's nonsense.
Absolutely not. Wtf is the "arch" for if you're walking on your toes anyways? Shouldn't you have feet like a dog? There's plenty of tribes without shoes and none of them walk around on their toes like dorks.
Now I get it! I am a middle aged factory worker. I have many Hmong co workers. Most of them shuffle their feet when they walk. I was raised not to shuffle my feet when I walk so I have always been annoyed by "feet shuffeling". Now I get it. Never stop learning and thank you for sharing!
that's just the usual walking style when you have to walk towards a direction against your will, like children moving back to their classes after the bell rings.
Me too...the sheer ignorance and hate of saying they did not have videos back then. What is the implication? That they were uncivilized barbarians! Down with the hate!
Medieval Europe stayed on their toes too. Sword work in HEMA and JSA benefit from different steps and movements than modern shoes even allow. This was a really cool video. Thanks so much!
No. Medieval Europeans didn't walk like that. In every country and period, swordmen, wrestlers and fighters walk on their toes ONLY when they're fighting. Medieval shoes were similar to some modern shoes. The hipotesis about "very special footwork, due to very special shoes" are simply ridiculous.
I wonder if the walking style came from the types of shoes they wore. In Western Europe, before heels were put on shoes, it's believed people walked "toes-first" instead of "heel-toe". There is an assumption among some historians that humans didn't walk heel-toe until after heeled shoes were invented.
My brain is like “oh he is tripping” but he never did. You know that part when someone starts falling and tries to gain balance. That’s what my brain associates that movement with.
I once watched a Japanese movie ("The Hidden Blade") where a Japanese soldier tought a group of Samurai the western sprinting technique (both legs into the air and swinging the arms). 😂
It resembles how animals “walk” too. Ie they’ll be constantly running. In fact it’s how you’re supposed to run nowadays too. Full bodily impact absorption and propelling
What’s fascinating to me, is that I’ve been walking more on the balls of my feet for as long as I can remember. It let me walk a little faster than otherwise, and I feel less “shock” in my legs when planting my foot with each step. More recently, I’ve learned this is also associated (but not “linked”) with autism For the Japanese, the idea their walking style was affected by the particular shoes of the time seems to makes sense Thank you for the video! どうもありがとうございました💙💙
German person here and in love with the Japanese culture. Japanese have always been advanced, the faster walking style is safing time and if I compare it to here where people use cars to go 500m, its a benefit for everybody in the community to go for a more effective and healthy method of transportation. Sad that many people do not do it any longer or do not do it at all in Japan as well.
@@keithmccormack6248 Health effect? Look at the people who think like walking is ineffektive: Fat, weak or sick. Do you have an idea of something like life is more than time is money? Btw: Walking safes fuel and money for communities, infrastructure, cost on Health treatment et cetera. Riding bikes can be effektive / healthy too by the way, but its not necessary and in some Terrain not the best option. People who walk have a longer and better life, in my opinion this is the epitome of effective. So why do you judge walking as less- or ineffektive?
@@kaffeemitcola6506 probbaly because all transport on earth secures our food so we don't starve in 1 week fighting over resources. I live in norway, a MEGA hiking culture, we also use cars but usually people will take a car if city infrastructure is hard to navigate or they need a lot of groceries etc. If everyone walked in a big city it would be incredibly crowded all the time and people would have had to spend all day doing basic shopping or work. People walked in the edo period because just getting a carriage and feeding an animal all year isn't cheap or easy and the cities were BUILT for walking not driving
@@Redcloudsrocks I do not know how old you are but when my parents were young there was little or no cars and it was not so long ago. Sure, everything that is NOW somehow associated with Industrial output can hardly beeing transported without anything like a train or lorry or so... but that is one of the negative effects of our society in our environment. ...2 generations ago many things came from lokal production, no cars required... cities are really quiet If there is No motorized transportation allowed and its always and only crowded If people have to stop and because the streets are to full with vehicles, no matter of what kind but thats a different topic. The effects of how we move can be good or bad and the way we live in our societies now is definitely not the best option according to how we move. WE have reached a point where workplaces are remote and food comes from all over the world, these things have an effects too and its not a good one. Use your car only for the really necessary things and you will live a healthyer and better life and thats where we close the circle, walking is the way we move since we stood up from all 4s and it will universally be the best way to move with the best effects to your body and in your environment.
I may be wrong but one of the best representations I've seen of the old Japanese walking style was in the series "The man in the high tower" where the wife of the Japanese prince was seen walking in a peculiar way which also looked elegant.
I worked in Waikiki for 40+ years and saw and met many Japanese visitors. I have always been curious about the walking characteristics and where they came from. Thank you for the great info.
I worked in a factory that had some guys from Japan working there. Only time I remember then walking anything like this was when they were in a big hurry to get somewhere on the factory floor but couldn't run because it was prohibited. So they fast shuffled instead. I guess that if you move very quickly but don't pick your feet off the ground it's technically walking?
I have read a bit of stories from Japan, South Korea and China. Now that you mention it, I think I remember reading something something like this in one of their stories. It was not really explicit though. They just used words which hinted that this is how they walked. But I didn't notice back then.
I saw this in a video about how the Ninjas used to walk in Japan. This method is like you're falling but using that momentum to take a few steps and go faster with lesser energy.
Back in the 1980s when I was in college I worked in Yosemite National Park and we had a lot of Japanese tourist come in on busses. I noticed even then the women had a funny way of walking fast similar to the man in the video. This is with them wearing Western clothes/shoes too.
ive been practicing seiza sitting for over a year because sitting on chairs destroyed my back and now my whole posture and even face is better adjusted. looking at this now, i am guessing that strenghtening ones legs and learning how to concentrate all of bodys force from one point, as achieved and learned during seiza sitting, should lead to a more fluid and gentle style of walking as shown here. do you think that seiza sitting and namba walking help each other ?
I was watching a Japanese streamer, he left the stream for a bit, he came back running (he didn't want to keep people waiting) and that's exactly what he did. I wasn't shocked, but it was unusual enough for me to notice.
It's a gait known as "Namba Aruki" or Namba walk. The man demonstrating in the video is rushing it. In normal, walking pace this minimizes motion of the torso and affords what people at the time deemed a more dignified and uniform walk. Instead of having everyone walking differently in a way that caused undue and uncouth motion of the torso, this kept a person's arms restrained. However, when moving quickly it caused a sort of awkward shuffling. One that didn't occur at lesser paces.
I think it’s fascinating to see it was common place . To watch the clips of Japanese theatre I had thought it a way to move exaggerated for theatre. So much preserved history that’s lost in other countries
I remember wearing a fit jalabiya/abaya (for men) and there was not enough space to take long steps, long story short whenever I wear it i kinda like like that when running or if I wanted to run faster I lift it to above my knees to get space.
I saw a video done for research purposes showing a person running on a treadmill, first with running shoes, then bare foot. In the shoes the person made contact with the treadmill heel first but when barefoot they ran on their toes. Apparently it is the natural way to run but footwear encourages us to use our heels. Using toes first seems to have less impact on our bone structure and acts a bit like shock absorption. (And that ends today’s science lesson! Haha. What a nerd!)
actually you will start walking like this when you start wearing the wooden slippers，its perhaps the only way to prevent them from keep dropping off
@@mannyechaluce3814 you sound like you would start ranting at a stranger on the bus. Get some sleep and focus on your own life.
@@mannyechaluce3814 you do know that transpeople are a very small minority of people right? so not sure where the most men thing comes from
This is an easy way to walk even when wearing wooden slippers.
@@EdoNinja-Nambawalk-uv9ddyes
I wear geta all the time it's true... if you walk by falling into your steps, its hard to maintain the geta or prevent the front of the geta from hitting the ground. Wearing then and walking in the Japanese manner also works out the muscles on the inner parts of your legs, especially the thighs.
The restrictions of the clothes they wore and their shoes is probably a factor in why they might have been forced to walk that way.
@rsuriyop.
I think you're right.
I think you're right.
Actually the clothes were not restrictive - but the shoes maybe, Ive not worn the shoes but I have the clothes.
For ladies for shure the kimono was the most argument. For Man maybe the shoes and the obedience style in front of their masters.
Don't forget their underwear.
me walking across the street when a car is coming
LOL
"I'm not running. I'm walking very fast. Ready to spring off my toes if you get too close."
You think so?
My grandad did this with us when we were kids before a car came, we would do this 'walk' across the road. Grandad would call this 'little run'.
My gf running away from me in the grocery store because some jackass keeps getting close to us.
Europeans walked differently than we do nowadays before also there are documentaries about it.
It is all based on the shoes and the design of them or lack of. Also clothing matters.
Yup, toe first, to feel, to balance then set the heel. If you walk barefoot, you both build the muscles in your foot, and learn to balance depending on what you step on. I walk on gravel without problems, nor are sharpstones or pinecones an issue since while you step on them, you simply reshape and put your weight on the parts of the foot not in contact with those uncomfy objects.
Actually, it's based on imitating the more upright African. White folks have to learn and practice walking on two feet. Africans mostly do it naturally.
I never imagined that, but you're right. Shoes do determine stride
Oui
Avec des sabots en bois la démarche devait être différente
Europeans often notice how some white American women walk with their toes pointed out. And sometimes with a wild arm-swing, as if walking in the street is a competitive sport. I remember seeing some old movie (may have been with Kathleen O’Sullivan) where a young girl character is actually instructed to point her toes out “like a lady”, and not walk with her toes facing forward “like an Indian” .
They got their zone 2 cardio figured out in daily activities.
Thank you for your comment.
Not a bad idea
When I was in really good shape, I would speed walk everywhere. Not because I was in a hurry, but because it was easy and I got places faster.
Japanese ppl walk A LOT anyway even now.
Muslims got a whole yoga + meditation + reciting session in their everyday lives minimum 5 times a day.
Shalat. Prayer.
So if it's Japanese muslim back then, they got a lot stuff to do for their body and mind there😮
I walk that way when I'm looking for a restroom
Lol don’t we all!
😂😂😂
😹
Oh! Really?
Frequently.
Medieval Europeans apparently used to walk in a similar tentative way, before the development of thick-soled shoes. The way most of us walk today, putting our weight down hard on the heel, would have been very dangerous in an environment littered with sharp stones and pieces of dead wood.
Yup, one ever said that medieval shoes were just glorified socks😂
Exactly...I have just made a very similar post. But I don't think medieval Europeans did that hurried shuffling.
Walking in the heel is wrong and unhealthy, and only happens because of bad footwear an posture. Just look how a foot is shaped. If you strike at the center the bridge of your foot will absorb the force and generate force for the next step perfectly. Look at indeginios people in the rainforest who will sprint about the woods barefoot. Of course they also build cornea to harden the skin.
As someone who is mostly barefoot at home, I can attest that I walk on my toes for this reason. There's less of a chance of getting splinters or discomfort from rocks when doing this. Otherwise, I'll put my shoes on if I'm going to be outside more often.
Though I should also note that I have HFA (high functioning autism) and apparently toe-walking has been observed in people on the spectrum.
@@JLCL01You have splinters and rocks at home?
How interesting. This is the way I sometimes see Japanese tourists crossing the road.
Thank you for your interest.
I used to teach Japanese nurses and they all walked like this.
I have a friend who is half Japanese. She always walked like that as we grew up together and still does. Her walk is more subtle though. I’m glad I watched this because now I understand that she was probably mimicking her Japanese mother and grandmother. Very interesting.
I notice Japanese still use a similar gait when walking fast. It could also have a lot to do with kimono and footwear.
Yeah,
I think kimono and footwear have big influence.
*gait
How does a gate change one's gait? Just open it?
@@commandoPR Thanks for the correction.
@@commandoPR Probably autocorrect from "geta", which is how the traditional Japanese wooden sandals are called.
I'm more distracted by the arms glued to the side of their bodies than by the walking style.
Not glued, he's just holding kimono up a bit to make space for longer steps.
By moving your shoulder blades, you can walk without having to swing your arms much.
"I'm tired and this kimono is uncomfortable, but I have to keep going" walk
It must be.
foreigner here, I was shocked too. thank you.
Thank you.
When I first learned this fact, I was surprised too.
Likewise.
*A Foreigner here;...
*Thank you.
WOW you must be old to have been there during the Edo period, around 400 years old to be more precise....
>foreigner
*gaijin*
_fixed_
Japan invented the Silly Walk.
Lafcadio Hearn who you quote at the start is an amazing author and possibly the first Weaboo. He was a Greek man who came to Japan and loved it so much he spent the rest of his life there in the late 1800's early 1900s. He chronicled Japanese folklore and is one of the reasons that Yokai had a resurgence in notoriety during the 20th century. There are many collections of his writing that all deal with one of two subjects - his own writings on Japanese culture/his experiences in Japan, and his editions of folklore. There are many versions of Japanese stories that he wrote down which would not have been saved in the modern age without him as many weren't written down just passed down through the generations. His folklore collections are great reading!
He wasn't Portuguese, he was Greek-American
@@ٴٴٴٴ_0 thank you, I fixed it
Yes, I read much of his work many years ago. Wonderful how he translated and wrote down so many Japanese tales that would otherwise have been lost. He must have been a fascinating man.
I believe that Lafcadio Hearn loved Japan very much and studied Japanese culture in detail.
Thank you for your comment.
This looks exactly like what I have seen in countless movies and shows featuring Japanese subjects.
Yeah it made me think of the old Akira Kurosawa films.
I've also seen that walking style in some Japanese movies, though I'm not sure what.
Is that so! Thank you!
Recent Shogun reboot was a good example. They pretty much did exactly this in scenes where they were running in non-combat shoes.
We are just watching the Ozu Noriko trilogy and everyone walks like this!
How Japanese women walk when they see me, but never towards me.
lol
Thank you for your comment.
As for an European, this walking style performed by women looks like a legit measure against overpopulation
I wouldn't blame them
I am an American Kendoka, and found this to be really insightful for my training. In kendo we shuffle and have a similar if not slightly more exaggerated shifting of our weight forward. Its quite efficient, and you can make quicker adjustments mid stride because your feet are closer to the ground. This makes even more sense if this was also a method for walking in general life. Its hard sometimes being so removed from Japan when trying to learn Kendo, and often feels like we're missing bits and pieces of common information learned in Japanese childhood/daily life. Never the less, Kendo is amazing, and I can't imagine myself stopping. Thanks for the awesome video 👍
Thank you for your in-depth comments.
I hope that you will continue to deepen your knowledge of Kendo.
This style of walking is a condensed version of the mid-foot and/or fore-foot ground contact running styles of the best long distance runners in the world.
No, it isn't.
And striking with the toes first doesn't have any benefits if you're not running fast.
Every gym class has some one who's mastered this walking style
I have walked this way because of years of ballet training. Small steps with most of the pressure on the balls of my feet instead of the heel. I wear kimono at home to relax, but you must walk this way when wearing this style of clothing, so the front doesn't open up with the first stride. It also makes it look like you are floating, instead of actually walking when you walk this way in kimono.
wooden slippers + kimono (very movement restrictive clothing) = this walking style
Western shoes/boots + pair of pants = walking style that alowes your entire leg to move
Fascinating people!
Thank you!
I wish I could go Edo period.
@@EdoNinja-Nambawalk-uv9ddI wish I could go to the wild west
Who knew that a video and comment section about how people of different cultures used to be walk compared to today could be so fascinating? I am learning so much, I didn’t know there were so many different walking styles, I thought everyone just walked heel first because it was what came naturally, it certainly does for me and everyone else I know, this makes me wanna look into this more.
yeah i too got shock after seeing this they walk like running 🏃 🚶
Thank you!!
And better not slow down....
Maybe they were just jogging. Then western tourist came and was like "OMG! japanese are so weird!"
WOW you must be old to have been there during the Edo period, around 400 years old to be more precise....
@@GeorgeeJunglee
I remember the Edo period well.
Lots of raspy screaming, intense vocal power & a great frontman.
*Accept* was never the same after he left
Oh wait, that was the *Udo* period I was thinking about.
That’s a great way of walking
We all walked like that when we were kids begging Mom we want those cookies or cereal then Mom says no then comes the walk .
(lol)
Extremely underrated comment!
Oh, that's better than what I had. I was thinking about Red being upset when Deebo took his chain. "He gonna cry in the car..." th-cam.com/video/0yW5XUGJsOU/w-d-xo.html
Namba one walking style. Interesting video!
I wish they still did! Slow walkers, especially groups of slow-walking people taking up the entire sidewalk, made it a challenge to get around Tokyo when I lived there.
Oh! Really?
Really? You must be an automobile. I found their paces to very fast to the point I felt like I was walking too slow, especially in Tokyo!
@@hawaiianaf2308 maybe you are just a slow walker
How tall are you?
I almost want to wager you felt this way primarily due to the difference in natural stride due to height differences.
--- Amazing. I've been walking all my life like that, whenever I don't want to do my chores. With the only difference, I do it backwards.....
Thank you for your comment.
I assumed this practice was partially due to the desire to not make impacts while walking on wooden floors in buildings where others may be sitting on or sleeping on the floor in other rooms in the building, so to not disturb others. Also the shoes, wearing shoes with no bend and no cushion and almost no attachment to ones foot, shuffling on the balls of your feet is the only way
Your guess may also be one of the reasons why this walking style developed.
I agree about walking softly/quietly. It’s absolutely a contributory factor.
We had this a few decades ago in Germany, it was called Trimm Trab - just in the middle between walking and jogging.
I didn't know about Trimm Trab. Thank you for the information.
People in the Edo period did not distinguish between walking and running.
As somebody that studied at the iga temple of ninjitsu, we all walk this way!
🎵 And talk this way 🎶
Thank you.
this is how they taught us to move in my Korean Tae Kwon Do classes, our grand master was VERY persistent on teaching this for efficiency
You’re supposed to walk on the front of your feet to maintain foot arch health. In the west with heeled boots being our traditional foot wear, we forget to do this, as those shoes forced it to walk comfortably. So with modern cushioned shoes we heel slam because it doesn’t cause pain like in heeled leather boots.
Do you realize a lot of natives in warmer regions didn't and still don't wear any shoes at all and walk normally. Have you ever run barefoot, in summer when not working I'm always barefoot or using sandals, heck even in winter inside.
There is nothing that makes you walk toe first. That's nonsense.
Japanese footwear at the time was not suitable for heel strike.
Absolutely not.
Wtf is the "arch" for if you're walking on your toes anyways? Shouldn't you have feet like a dog?
There's plenty of tribes without shoes and none of them walk around on their toes like dorks.
Now I get it! I am a middle aged factory worker. I have many Hmong co workers. Most of them shuffle their feet when they walk. I was raised not to shuffle my feet when I walk so I have always been annoyed by "feet shuffeling". Now I get it. Never stop learning and thank you for sharing!
Omoshiroii. Interesting historical fact. Arigatou!
Tkank you!!
I’m researching this about 10years.
A superior culture.
that's just the usual walking style when you have to walk towards a direction against your will, like children moving back to their classes after the bell rings.
Does it looks like so?
Yes, agreed!
*That's;...
@@EdoNinja-Nambawalk-uv9dd
Yes.
*look like so-?
I am glad I was sitting down for this one!
Chinese girls still walk like this at my university wearing regular shoes
Oh!
Really!
Damn, i was surprised 'cause i always walked like this, it makes wonders into the calves.
Legends say he's still walking...
Ughhh 🙄
Thanks.
I am SHOCKED! SHOCKED!! Well, not that shocked...
When I first learned this fact, I was shocked too.
Me too...the sheer ignorance and hate of saying they did not have videos back then. What is the implication? That they were uncivilized barbarians! Down with the hate!
This is very interesting. A lot of indigenous people from Latin America also used to walk the same way.
Really? Thank you !
Medieval Europe stayed on their toes too. Sword work in HEMA and JSA benefit from different steps and movements than modern shoes even allow. This was a really cool video. Thanks so much!
Thank you for your comment.
I’m glad you liked it.
No. Medieval Europeans didn't walk like that.
In every country and period, swordmen, wrestlers and fighters walk on their toes ONLY when they're fighting.
Medieval shoes were similar to some modern shoes. The hipotesis about "very special footwork, due to very special shoes" are simply ridiculous.
No, they didn't.
Very interesting video. Thank you for the history lesson!
That's the same way i walk after a big bowl of chili.
You think so?
Really interesting! It explains the shoes!
that looks like me when i need to find a toilet quickly
You think so?
勉強になりました！
Thank you!
I saw this walking style in old women when living in Japan. It always looked like they were in a hurry.
Really?
I wanted to see it.
Now, imagine if they were fighting each other. That is one intimidating walk.😱😂😂😂
It kind of just looks everyone is in a slight hurry.
This method is faster if you relax.
When i put my flip-flops sandals and go walking in fast pace i walk this way.
This walking style is still practised by kuroneko delivery drivers…
Well, it may be…
Fantastic exercise
I wonder if the walking style came from the types of shoes they wore. In Western Europe, before heels were put on shoes, it's believed people walked "toes-first" instead of "heel-toe". There is an assumption among some historians that humans didn't walk heel-toe until after heeled shoes were invented.
Probably, it's not a particularly practical way of walking without those clothes.
Really? Thank you!
What historians?
There's tribes that don't wear shoes the world over and NONE of them walk like this.
My brain is like “oh he is tripping” but he never did. You know that part when someone starts falling and tries to gain balance. That’s what my brain associates that movement with.
That’s running not walking?
The idea of running or doing something with the body that is fast is still a shock for many people from Europe.
@@kaffeemitcola6506 american projecting about obesity
I think they could walk like this when they relax their body.
@@kaffeemitcola6506 Nothing you say makes any sense.
@@BigUriel Why? Are you living in a world without a body oder are you something like a transzendent being?
Thank you 🙏
I once watched a Japanese movie ("The Hidden Blade") where a Japanese soldier tought a group of Samurai the western sprinting technique (both legs into the air and swinging the arms). 😂
Oh! Really?
My man's light jogging like CJ from grove street
Why? Educational.
It resembles how animals “walk” too. Ie they’ll be constantly running. In fact it’s how you’re supposed to run nowadays too. Full bodily impact absorption and propelling
I think this original walking style was developed because they wore Kimono.
@@PtR-ec1wz Tkank you for your opinion!
I believe this walking style is suitable for human.
Yes, true!
BUT, --->>>WHY-????.
@@AndrewHeller-jn7dx More joints used = more impact absorption.
What’s fascinating to me, is that I’ve been walking more on the balls of my feet for as long as I can remember. It let me walk a little faster than otherwise, and I feel less “shock” in my legs when planting my foot with each step. More recently, I’ve learned this is also associated (but not “linked”) with autism
For the Japanese, the idea their walking style was affected by the particular shoes of the time seems to makes sense
Thank you for the video!
どうもありがとうございました💙💙
German person here and in love with the Japanese culture. Japanese have always been advanced, the faster walking style is safing time and if I compare it to here where people use cars to go 500m, its a benefit for everybody in the community to go for a more effective and healthy method of transportation. Sad that many people do not do it any longer or do not do it at all in Japan as well.
Thank you for your comment.
I hope that the day will come when everyone can walk long distances like they did in the Edo period.
Walking is more effective than wheeled transport? Since when?
@@keithmccormack6248 Health effect? Look at the people who think like walking is ineffektive: Fat, weak or sick. Do you have an idea of something like life is more than time is money? Btw: Walking safes fuel and money for communities, infrastructure, cost on Health treatment et cetera. Riding bikes can be effektive / healthy too by the way, but its not necessary and in some Terrain not the best option. People who walk have a longer and better life, in my opinion this is the epitome of effective. So why do you judge walking as less- or ineffektive?
@@kaffeemitcola6506 probbaly because all transport on earth secures our food so we don't starve in 1 week fighting over resources.
I live in norway, a MEGA hiking culture, we also use cars but usually people will take a car if city infrastructure is hard to navigate or they need a lot of groceries etc. If everyone walked in a big city it would be incredibly crowded all the time and people would have had to spend all day doing basic shopping or work.
People walked in the edo period because just getting a carriage and feeding an animal all year isn't cheap or easy and the cities were BUILT for walking not driving
@@Redcloudsrocks I do not know how old you are but when my parents were young there was little or no cars and it was not so long ago. Sure, everything that is NOW somehow associated with Industrial output can hardly beeing transported without anything like a train or lorry or so... but that is one of the negative effects of our society in our environment. ...2 generations ago many things came from lokal production, no cars required... cities are really quiet If there is No motorized transportation allowed and its always and only crowded If people have to stop and because the streets are to full with vehicles, no matter of what kind but thats a different topic. The effects of how we move can be good or bad and the way we live in our societies now is definitely not the best option according to how we move. WE have reached a point where workplaces are remote and food comes from all over the world, these things have an effects too and its not a good one. Use your car only for the really necessary things and you will live a healthyer and better life and thats where we close the circle, walking is the way we move since we stood up from all 4s and it will universally be the best way to move with the best effects to your body and in your environment.
Fascinating.
Looks like he has to pee really bad🙄
I may be wrong but one of the best representations I've seen of the old Japanese walking style was in the series "The man in the high tower" where the wife of the Japanese prince was seen walking in a peculiar way which also looked elegant.
Interesting but not a shock….thanks. Laurie NZ😊
I walk the same when I’m rushing to grab something I forgot in the other room. Only my walk is super awkward 😂
Thank you!
I worked in Waikiki for 40+ years and saw and met many Japanese visitors. I have always been curious about the walking characteristics and where they came from. Thank you for the great info.
Thank you!
I worked in a factory that had some guys from Japan working there. Only time I remember then walking anything like this was when they were in a big hurry to get somewhere on the factory floor but couldn't run because it was prohibited. So they fast shuffled instead. I guess that if you move very quickly but don't pick your feet off the ground it's technically walking?
I have read a bit of stories from Japan, South Korea and China. Now that you mention it, I think I remember reading something something like this in one of their stories. It was not really explicit though. They just used words which hinted that this is how they walked. But I didn't notice back then.
Ordinary things are rarely recorded. It is thought that detailed records were kept because it was unusual for Westerners.
this is how Napoleon Dynamite got to school when the bus no showed. such cultured lads, he and his sibling Kip.
Thank you for this information
Thanks!
I saw this in a video about how the Ninjas used to walk in Japan. This method is like you're falling but using that momentum to take a few steps and go faster with lesser energy.
Thank you for your comment.
This way of walking is an efficient way of walking that uses gravity.
This looks more like my ‘late to work’ walk
Really?
Does it have any advantages over "regular" walking style?
The Ministry of Silly Walks approves of this educational film
I've seen the pigeon toed gait in historical Japanese movies. I like to walk that way sometimes just for fun (but not in public).
Thank you for your comment. Please try pigeon toe in your normal walking style.
Back in the 1980s when I was in college I worked in Yosemite National Park and we had a lot of Japanese tourist come in on busses. I noticed even then the women had a funny way of walking fast similar to the man in the video. This is with them wearing Western clothes/shoes too.
A few days ago I finished the remake of Shogun. Gotta say the way they ran in that movie was lore-accurate.
ive been practicing seiza sitting for over a year because sitting on chairs destroyed my back and now my whole posture and even face is better adjusted. looking at this now, i am guessing that strenghtening ones legs and learning how to concentrate all of bodys force from one point, as achieved and learned during seiza sitting, should lead to a more fluid and gentle style of walking as shown here. do you think that seiza sitting and namba walking help each other ?
I think it's the same cultural trend.
Thank you for your comment.
I was watching a Japanese streamer, he left the stream for a bit, he came back running (he didn't want to keep people waiting) and that's exactly what he did. I wasn't shocked, but it was unusual enough for me to notice.
When you're walking and find yourself in front of a guy trying to take someone's picture
Everything from japan shocks foreigners
It may so.
I laughed so hard when the guy started walking.
It's a gait known as "Namba Aruki" or Namba walk. The man demonstrating in the video is rushing it. In normal, walking pace this minimizes motion of the torso and affords what people at the time deemed a more dignified and uniform walk. Instead of having everyone walking differently in a way that caused undue and uncouth motion of the torso, this kept a person's arms restrained. However, when moving quickly it caused a sort of awkward shuffling. One that didn't occur at lesser paces.
I've walked on my toes since I was a child and always had knock-knees (Pigeon toed), guess I wasn't so weird after all!
I think it’s fascinating to see it was common place . To watch the clips of Japanese theatre I had thought it a way to move exaggerated for theatre. So much preserved history that’s lost in other countries
I wish I could go back to the Edo period and see what was going on back then.
Interesting !
Very interesting. I’ve seen film and video of Geishas, and they walked in a similar but more subtle style.
Thank you for your interest.
I remember wearing a fit jalabiya/abaya (for men) and there was not enough space to take long steps, long story short whenever I wear it i kinda like like that when running or if I wanted to run faster I lift it to above my knees to get space.
That's what happened.
Thank you for your comment.
Japanese running style is airplane arms. Believe it!
I saw a video done for research purposes showing a person running on a treadmill, first with running shoes, then bare foot. In the shoes the person made contact with the treadmill heel first but when barefoot they ran on their toes. Apparently it is the natural way to run but footwear encourages us to use our heels. Using toes first seems to have less impact on our bone structure and acts a bit like shock absorption. (And that ends today’s science lesson! Haha. What a nerd!)
I walk/run like this all the time
This is the "Please don't shoot me or slice my head off walking style" They still do this in the ghetto today in America.
I work with a Japanese lady who scoots around a bit like this. But I can't imagine where she picked it up from.