Would it be against Japanese etiquette to simply write "Please Don't Reposition" on these work shoes? Seems like that would reduce the number of times this happens.

Congratulations and count yourself among the lucky. But if you cannot appreciate that things will not be that way for many employment situations then you don't know how lucky you are.

It's not a matter of luck, it's a function of the degree to which one's psyche is fragmented.

The default in my industry is exactly as you describe. The only reason it isn't so for me is because I refused to give over my autonomy and have remained in touch with my intrinsic motivations. The job/role/industry is irrelevant as far as causation, I'm just mentioning mine for context.

You dislike engineers because they are acting like engineers instead of artists? The typical engineer is a paid mercenary, working to get widget 2.0 out the door. They are not robots, but are paid to play nice with others to advance their employer's interests. To act like a temperamental artiste in that environment would be immature and unprofessional.