First we have DragonBeard, it seems the company is about 10 year old.
I like their sneaker models but they also have casual and walking shoes (less my type).
The most famous brand abroad is certainly Onitsuka Tiger by Asics (same founder, Mr. Onitsuka... obviously).
The two brands share the same logo, if ASICS is a sports label, Onitsuka Tiger is more of a fashion sporty shoes :).
Uma Thurman wore the model "Mexico 66" in Kill Bill by Quentin Tarantino and helped to make the label "Onitsuka tiger" popular around the world.
The Möbus shoes : they are sold as a German brand...
... But it seems more tricky than that. I found an interesting article about it. In fact, Onitsuka seems to be also behind this brand in Japan...
Apparently dragonbeard's owner runs also this label TopSeven :
Some good things imho.
And finally there is also some HO&OH shoes.
I have no idea from where this brand is actually...
That's about it for the Japanese sneaker brands, I think. Are they new to you (apart from Onituska)? Could be popular or are sold in your area?
For the next "Sneakers in Japan" article I will visit the shoe supermarket ABC Mart...