I thought those two-toed shoes that ninjas wear were... you know, just something that ninja wear. turns out i was wrong, as i saw lots of construction worker-types wearing these bad boys, known as Jika-Tabi "地下足袋"

According to wikipedia, "Being made of heavy, tough material and often having rubber soles, jika-tabi are often used by construction workers, farmers and gardeners, rickshaw-pullers, and other workmen.

Though slowly being replaced by steel-toed, rigid-sole shoes in some industries, many workers prefer them for the softness of their soles. This gives wearers tactile contact with the ground, and the concomitant gripping ability lets them use their feet more agilely than rigid-soled shoes allow. There is a line of knee-high all-rubber jika-tabi that is used by workers in rice fields and/or wet and muddy environments."