In Japanese schools, you exchange your street shoes at the door for a pair of indoor slipper. For students, these are uniform (canvas Mary Janes with colored toe-bumps and traction for elementary school; awkward plastic sandals kind of like this for junior high), but teachers can select what style shoe they want—they just have to make sure they never wear them outdoors. The priority is usually comfort (as a teacher, I swear, you never sit down!) and a color and style that will go with any work outfit. In my case, I also need them to be very packable because I work at several different schools and must carry my shoes with me in my bag to each of them.
