“Do I have to have my hanten dry cleaned?” is a question we sometimes get here at Japan Store. Fortunately, the answer is no. But if you just stick it in the washing machine, it will suffer some damage, especially to the cotton padding. And of course the insulation quality of the padding is a major reason why you wear the hanten in the first place, right? So read on and we’ll explain how a few simple steps can ensure that your hanten stays warm and clean for years to come.
1. With the hanten folded as shown in the photo, handwash in a sink or large basin. Gently push it into the water until it is soaked through, and remove any obvious dirt and stains. Use cold or warm water and a mild (neutral) detergent. Bleach is a definite no-no.
2. Without squeezing too vigorously or stretching the fabric, drain the water from the hanten. Place in a laundry net large enough to hold the folded hanten as shown.
3. Use your washing machine’s spin feature to drain most of the remaining water from the hanten. Use the shortest spin cycle setting. Ensure that you do not use your washing machine’s dryer feature if it has one, as this will damage the cotton padding.
4. Hang out to dry, outdoors if at all possible and as shown in the photo. The more the hanten is spread out, the better it will keep its shape and the less likely that the cotton padding will dry in clumps. Hang until the outer fabric is dry, then turn over to expose the inner lining and allow to dry fully. This will ensure that the cotton padding dries and retains its volume.
5. If you must dry the hanten on a hanger, make sure it is a rounded type and not a skinny type as shown. Again, this will help the hanten maintain its shape and prevent the padding from drying in clumps.
Occasional washing as described above will ensure that your hanten stays as warm and stylish as the day you bought it. See our selection of mens and ladies hanten.
1. Fold the tabi upper toward the toes until it is about 3-4cm behind the split between the toes (red line). The seam should line up with the split (purple line).
2. Holding the point on both sides where the upper and the sole meet, slide your foot into the tabi, ensuring that your big toe and other toes fit into the split toe area separately.
3. Raise your heel and pull both sides of the tabi upper where it meets the sole. Your toes should now be fitting snugly with little or no wrinkling of the tabi material.
4. Sit and place your heel on the floor facing away from the opposite leg. Flex your ankle so that your toes point upward.
5. Grasp the tabi around your ankle with the same hand (ie. for right foot use right hand) using your thumb to hold down the rear flap of the tabi containing the cotton hooks.
6. With the opposite hand place the kohaze (metal tabs) into the correct cotton hooks. Start with the bottommost kohaze and work up. Most tabi have 4 or 5 kohaze. This is the trickiest part and will get easier with practice. It is important to get all the kohaze correctly fitted to ensure that the tabi will not easily come off.
7. You’re done! If you’re wearing tabi for the first time, they may feel strange or even a little uncomfortable between the toes but you will quickly get used to this. Only tabi that are specifically “stretch tabi” are made of a material that will stretch somewhat like a sock. But even regular cotton tabi can be stretched slightly by pulling them diagonally both ways before wearing them. There will probably be some slight shrinkage when they are washed.