New: Jordan Brand takes inspiration on MJ’s first trip to Japan with the Air Jordan 1 Low SE

Ever since the Unbanned movie back in 2018, the amount of Air Jordan releases have been through the roof. Whether it was reissues of classics, new color updates and everything in between, it’s been the golden standard for sneaker fans both young and old.

Yes, it can get repetitive, and dare I say it – tired. But I do understand the need for it to be available every season, as it is the foundation of sneaker culture. Especially with the release of AIR this April, expect to see another jump in demand for our favorite Js.

While we haven’t been highlighting the releases on the regular, here’s one pair that you can’t pass up on. We all love a good story for our sneakers and Jordan Brand did a good job with this one – the Air Jordan 1 Low SE ‘Tokyo Vintage’.

To give context to this release, Michael Jordan took his first official trip to Japan with Nike back in ’96 dubbed “Nike Hoop Heroes”. The event was a huge one for the brand, as MJ was on the trip with Charles Barkley, Jason Kidd, Damon Stoudamire, and Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis. During the event, Jordan played with a boy wearing a UNC uniorm and that set the inspiration for this release.

The UNC colors can be seen on the shoe’s toeguard but one extra detail here is the reptile leather found on the Swoosh. During that trip, MJ was wearing the Air Jordan 12 that had lizard skin that now translates to the shoe. Other details on the shoe feature suede on the shoe’s toe and quarter panels and a pre-aged midsole to further the ‘Tokyo Vintage’ story. To complete the shoe’s design, a golden yellow Jumpan and Wings logo are found on the tongue and heel, respectively.

The Air Jordan 1 Low SE ‘Tokyo Vintage’ drops this Saturday, April 1st. The shoe will be made available at Jordan Manila, Titan, and atmos. Stay tuned for more info for this weekend’s release.