How to clean shoes in Japan - the easy way!

There are several products you can buy in a drug or homeware store so that you can clean shoes yourself. However, if you want to do it the easy way, I recommend using a coin laundry. Most coin laundries have at least one shoe washing machine. They are usually reasonably priced and are very quick and easy to use. Moreover, there is usually a shoe drier above the washing machine, so you can wash and dry a pair of shoes in less than an hour and for as little as 300 yen.

The Shoe Washing Machine

After watching fireworks on a riverbank in rain on Saturday night, my favorite and most comfortable pair of sneakers were both dirty and damp:

I brought them along to our nearest coin laundry where they have one of shoe washing machines. As you can see below, its like a mini car wash in a washing machine! 

All you have to do is pop the sneakers in the washing machine, close the lid and put your 200 yen in the slot. (Some coin laundry may charge more or less). The washing machine automatically uses washing powder for the first cycle. The 200 yen is for a 20 minute wash, which is generally all you would need. You can put up to two pairs of adult shoes in at a time or four pair of children's shoes. They recommend 20 minutes for most shoes, but 40 minutes for tennis shoes. Please note you can't use these machines for hiking boots, slippers, wellies (gum boots) or sports shoes that have spikes on them.

The Shoe Dryer

You can of course bring your shoes home wet and dry them yourself. But if, like me, you are in a hurry for the shoes or if it is a wet day, the shoe dryer is very convenient. It looks like a little microwave and is usually positioned above the shoe washer! You can dry up to two pairs of shoes at once.

Our local one only charges 100 yen for 20 minutes. My sneakers only needed 20 minutes, but I have used it with other sneakers that needed 40 minutes, i.e. two cycles of drying. If you want to put the shoes on for longer, you can put (in this case) 200 yen in up front and the dryer will operate for 40 minutes. So you can go off and do something else while you are waiting for the cycle to finish rather than standing there waiting for them. 

Voila, clean shoes in 40 minutes for 300 yen...

Have you even used the shoe washer and / or dryer in a coin laundry? Any other ways you would suggest for cleaning and drying shoes quickly?