Shoes can be so exhausting. There’s the part where you have to slip in your feet. And the part where you have to tie the laces.

But the Japanese company that introduced those minimalist shoes with toes has a much simpler idea. They’ve introduced shoes that you just wrap around your feet, kind of like a cloth burrito.

Vibram’s Furoshiki shoes are billed as “outsoles that wrap around your foot.” They are mostly rubber soles with a toe and a big swath of stretchy fabric that you wrap around your feet and then fasten with Velcro.

vibram furoshiki Not for the athletic crowd, the shoes are intended for more casual use. (Photo: Vibram)

Stephen Regenold on Gear Junkie reviewed the shoes:

Had this shoe come out a few years back, “barefoot” runners, the same ones who ate up the FiveFingers line, might have bought the Furoshikis in droves — the foot can move free, and “ground feel” is off the charts. The tread molds to every bump or crack on the ground, and the fabric stretches in what’s sold as an upper that can fit any foot, from tiny to big.

Vibram says the concept for the shoes came from the Japanese custom of packaging items by wrapping them in fabric. Because they are so adjustable, the shoes only come in five sizes. In the U.S., the shoes are available in five colors, ranging from black to denim.

red Vibram furoshiki shoesThere’s nothing subtle about these shoes. (Photo: Vibram)

Tyler Lacoma at Gadget Review, calls them “one of the weirdest or coolest things you’ve seen today, depending on your taste.” Lacoma points out that while the pricey FiveFinger shoes were geared toward runners, these similarly odd-looking shoes are more for casual use.

“Instead, these shoes are made more for casual wear: Treat them like slippers, social shoes, or shoes you wear when feeling crappy or sore … just don’t expect to take them out for a pounding,” Lacoma writes. But, at $110, that’s not very competitively priced for a kick-around shoe, he points out.

vibram furoshiki rolled upVibram Furoshiki shoes are portable and easy to pack. (Photo: Vibram)

The shoes roll up and come with a little bag for travel.

Here’s how they work:

Mary Jo DiLonardo Mary Jo writes about everything from health to parenting — and anything that helps explain why her dog does what he does.

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