Crazy Japanese shoes

Got an email forward from my mum today with some crazy shoes which are apparently all the rage in Japan: ** Fetish Shoes - See update at bottom

(These are actually kind of awesome, and I wants them. At least, the part of me that is none-too-concerned about falling flat on my face every three steps, wants them. My pride is calling out for some respect though)

These remind me of these Balenciaga shoes Rihanna wore

I don't know whether they're real shoes for sale, I can only guess by the style of the shots that they are. I've spoken before on my hate of unsubstantiated emails being sent around, and investigation of this finds no obvious "these shoes aren't real" claims.

They have featured on a few shoe blogs however, where I also found these gems to the left. They almost look like the formal shoe for the dedicated ballerina.

M's godson, Ryder

(yeah ok this seems random in the middle of a post about shoes, but go with me)

is walking around now, as children at 18 months old are prone to do. The weird thing is though, that one of his feet he walks with his toes all curled over. You've seen those ballet movies like Centre Stage (did you know that was written by Judy Nunn aka Ailsa from Home and Away?) where you see the obligatory shot of them bending their toes right over "warming up". Like that. I'm intrigued as to what it means.

I also found this shot, from The Shoe Blog contributor jitterbugbaby on a holiday IN Japan. While this is possibly the fuggiest look in the world, I do LOVE these shoes (you probably need to click through to see them better).
She also saw this awesome pair of heels with JEWELRY for Shoes! Does it get any better?

As you can imagine, the Google Image Search of "Crazy Japanese Shoes" yeilds plenty of material of a meaningful nature, as well as batshit-crazy. But I will leave you with these wonderful images, of which I also cannot verify their authenticity, but if true, are enough to turn your stomach.

**UPDATE

As it has been drawn to my attention that these are actually fetish shoes, I found that "ballet boots" even have their own Wiki article.
Indeed the article tells us-

Ballet boots and shoes are not, however, intended for prolonged standing or walking. Instead, they act as a fetish object for sexual gratification, heightening the erotic appeal with the elements of bondage and submission. They are thus sometimes used in BDSM play. For example, someone may be put in predicament bondage by being placed in suspension bondage arranged so that he or she must either hang by the arms or rest all of the body's weight on the toes. The boots, however, can cause enough discomfort by themselves: shortly after they are donned, the calves often begin to cramp and sting from overexertion if the wearer is not used to them. International Fetish Model Charlotte Brooke has walked around at FetishCon (a bondage and fetish convention) for a full 9 hour day.

Thanks to Lou and Network Geek for illuminating us :)
(To purchase a pair, see Lou for Oz, or Network Geek for the USA)