Sakura sneakers, in three different varieties

These cherry blossom kicks will tell the whole world your feet are ready for spring. Hot on the heels of rival Adidas’ Asian-inspired collaboration with singer Rita Ora, shoemaker Nike has launched its own line of sneakers with Japanese styling cues. Whereas Adidas went with a grab bag of Japanese imagery, Nike has instead decided to focus on possibly the country’s most enchanting visual icon: the cherry blossom. The flowers are drawn in a style reminiscent of traditional suibokuga ink wash painting. Orthodox suibokuga artwork is done strictly in gradients of black, but Nike bends the rules by rendering the blossoms in pink, although the white background still retains much of the art form’s high-contrast look. The sakura are blooming across three different Nike models, starting with the SB Air Zoom Stefan Janoski Elite skateboarding shoes seen above, which are priced at US$110. If you’re looking for something with a...