Significance

• When traveling to countries with different traditions and cultures other than your own, it is important to remember to be considerate and respectful of those traditions and their significance to the culture you are visiting. In Japan, it is considered very poor manners to wear shoes inside of a home, and, in some cases, businesses as well.
  
  

The Reason Why

• According to some sources, the tradition of removing shoes is related to the climate of Japan. As it is a country that experiences heavy rainfall, roads and sidewalks are often wet and muddy. To track this muddy mess into another's home would be disrepectful, as many Japanese use rooms for more than one purpose, i.e., a living room may double as a room to sleep in and no one wants to lie down on a wet, muddy floor.
  
  

In Practice

• Remove your shoes when in the genken, or entryway to a home. In practice, remove your shoes so that you are still pointing in the direction in which you entered the home. Then kneel and turn them around and move them to the side to allow easy access to the door for anyone else who may be arriving. It is important to note that in Japanese culture it is considered very rude to show your back to your host, and this should be avoided.
  
  

Once Inside

• Generally, a pair of house slippers will be waiting nearby for you to put on when in the home. Even the house slippers must be taken off to step on to tatami, or floor mats, in the home to protect them from damage and from dirtying them. Additionally, when using a restroom, house slippers are removed and a different pair, just for using the restroom, should be used.
  
  

In Other Cultures

• Removing one's shoes at the door as a sign of respect to a host is not a tradition confined to Japan. It also exists in Thailand and the Czech Republic and has migrated into many Western countries as well.