[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.

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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, 

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