Robben started playing football on WOODEN SHOES as a young boy.

BBC: Last Updated: Thursday June 08 2006 12:04 GMT

Before retiring, guests often walk around the grounds in their robes and geta--old wooden shoes that go clack-clack through the quiet streets where ryokan are usually located.

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Kissa Sakaiki, located in the Shinjuku district, pays homage to the past by requiring visitors to remove their shoes upon entrance and displaying a wooden chest filled with a vast collection of vintage matchbooks from old jazz kissa along the back wall.

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You will also be given some shoes by your attendant - either traditional wooden clogs or fluorescent flip-flops.

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Clothing and shoes were scattered through the concrete rubble, broken steel bars and shattered wooden window frames littering the streets.

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