[Joanne-C]

Why do Japanese people take off their shoes before going inside?

User Detail :  

Name : Joanne-C, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 16, City : Melbourne, State : NA Country : Australia, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Poro Poro]

In some schools in Japan, the students have to take off their shoes and go barefoot when indoors. Some claim this practice will help train the body to be stronger against colds and other illnesses.

User Detail :  

Name : Poro Poro, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 26, City : Toronto, State : NA Country : Canada, Occupation : Computer Programmer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Giky]

It's done to keep the inside of a house clean. It's a tradition in most Asian cultures, not just limited to the Japanese.

User Detail :  

Name : Giky, City : Tustin, State : CA Country : United States, 

[Patrick]

I like the tradition; it promotes a cleaner house. The traditional Japanese house is constructed of paper and has bamboo matts on the floor. These matts can be easily ruined if stepped on with shoes. This is how the tradition originated.

User Detail :  

Name : Patrick, Gender : M, Race : Irish, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 18, City : Los Altos, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Jackie]

Taking off your shoes before entering a home is not only to keep a home clean. It's also polite if you were to be visiting a friend's house. I lived in Japan all my life, and my family and I still do it.

User Detail :  

Name : Jackie, Gender : F, Race : Asian, City : Pensacola, State : FL Country : United States, 

[Maria]

It's not only Japanese who take off their shoes when they get indoors. In all the Scandinavian countries, we do it as well. I guess it's partly because of the weather sometimes (snow and rain means heavy footwear), but mostly to keep it clean inside. I also feel very clumsy walking around in shoes all the time. I love to go barefoot or just have socks on.

User Detail :  

Name : Maria, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 20, City : Stockholm, State : NA Country : Sweden, Occupation : Student, Social class : Middle class, 

[Tommy24154]

First of all, the cultural practice of removing one's shoes before entering a house (or building) is not limited to the Japanese. In fact, it extends to all East Asian and Southeast Asian cultures (i.e., Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Thai, Cambodian, Laotian, Malaysian, etc.), and, as some other poster pointed out, some other non-Asian cultures as well, such as some in Scandinavia. Second, while it is true that this practice does keep the indoor area clean, and it prevents dirt, mud, and snow from collecting inside, the real origin of this practice has to do with a showing of respect. Most far East Asian cultures are rooted in Confucianism, and many of the old symbols and gestures of respect and the strict definitions of dominant-subordinate relationships (such as that of teacher-student, father-son, man-woman) stem from the principles given by Confucius centuries upon centuries ago in China. Thus, it is not surprising that many people, including many Asians, are unaware of the roots of this tradition. In any case, removing one's shoes is a gesture of showing respect when entering another person's home, or entering your family's home, or entering your work space, etc. Yes, this gesture does help keep the indoor area clean, but that was not the primary reason for this tradition. In fact, once this tradition was established, one could reasonably make the assertion that it helped facilitate certain lifestyle differences within the home (i.e., sitting on the ground in the cross-legged position instead of sitting on chairs, since there weren't any shoes on with dirt collecting). Last, I understand that many Westerners are familiar most with Japan (and also maybe China) when it comes to Asian countries, but please do not assume that all, most, or even some Asian traditions and customs originate from Japan. In reality, most Japanese cultural traditions, including food, architecture, artwork, and language, have been co-opted through time from mainland Asia, coming from especially Korea and China.

User Detail :  

Name : Tommy24154, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Age : 26, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Lawyer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Ken]

To turn the point around, many Koreans ask me why westerners wear their shoes indoors and even when lying on their beds/couches. I never gave it much thought when living in America, but it seems downright filthy having lived in Korea these past seven years...

User Detail :  

Name : Ken, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 35, City : Seoul, State : NA Country : Korea, Occupation : Public relations, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[genna21633]

THANK YOU! I DISCOVERED THAT TRADITIONAL JAPANESE HOMES ARE VERY FUNCTIONAL AND VERY LOVELY!

User Detail :  

Name : genna21633, City : petti, State : NA Country : United States, 

[Sven27515]

Taking off your outdoor shoes at home reduces the risk of walking dog pooh through the house.

User Detail :  

Name : Sven27515, City : Stockholm, State : AR Country : Sweden, 

[Author]

Posts