Why does everyone make a big deal about taking shoes off in Japan

[manganimefan227]

-Shudders-

[seiki]

I would like everyone I invite into my home to be as comfortable as possible.

[MissMisa]

Well, when I go round to other people's houses, I always take my shoes off. It's really rude not to, unless they tell you it's okay. In my house, we don't care whether shoes are off or on, but when people come round they usually take their shoes off just because it's polite. My house isn't a cream carpet house but if I notice someone has a cream carpet the shoes will come off xD

[YukisUke]

In some of my family member's household, we have to take off our shoes. I don't see a problem with it at all.

In Japan, people make a big deal out of it because they don't want any of the outside environment being tracked into their house. It's the same thing with their schools. The schools have shoes for the students to wear while their there because they want to have as clean of an environment as possible. I wish I went to a school like that. Sounds kinda cool.

[SSJup81]

;Growing up in the US, I was pretty much taught not to take off your shoes in other people's houses, as it's rude to do so. The only exception to this is if the owners of said home says it's okay to. I think it's like another person said...you're making yourself too comfortable. The other exception to this is family. If I'm at a family member's home, I'd take off my shoes, but someone's home where I'm not on a personal level with said person, I keep them on because I'd feel awkward otherwise.

That aside, in my own home, we usually took our shoes off at the door (in my case, the front door and the back door). In my case, the exception was whenever we were hauling groceries into the house. Our kitchen is upstairs, so it would be an inconvenience to come in with heavy groceries, take our shoes off, take groceries upstairs, go back down to the front door, put on our shoes, and go back out to the car to bring in the next set of groceries and repeat the process three or four times.

When people would come over, unless it was family, no one would take off their shoes.

Taking your shoes off, though, just makes a heck of a lot more sense to me. It's more comfortable, the floors stay cleaner, and you won't have to worry about tracking anything in.

Originally Posted by YukisUke

In some of my family member's household, we have to take off our shoes. I don't see a problem with it at all.

In Japan, people make a big deal out of it because they don't want any of the outside environment being tracked into their house. It's the same thing with their schools. The schools have shoes for the students to wear while their there because they want to have as clean of an environment as possible. I wish I went to a school like that. Sounds kinda cool.

That applies to the teachers too.

[PockyMePink]

Taking your shoes off, though, just makes a heck of a lot more sense to me. It's more comfortable, the floors stay cleaner, and you won't have to worry about tracking anything in.

Unless it's muddy outside, or you stepped in dog poop, you're going to be tracking in as much as your sock feet/bare feet would as with your shoes.

Also, I'm not sure if this is only in the U.S., but most houses have a rug at the door (inside, I mean) so people won't track stuff in. If someone isn't family, or isn't close, they're normally going to stand near the door during their visit on the rug to prevent tracking things in.

[YukisUke]

Originally Posted by SSJup81

;Growing up in the US, I was pretty much taught not to take off your shoes in other people's houses, as it's rude to do so. The only exception to this is if the owners of said home says it's okay to. I think it's like another person said...you're making yourself too comfortable. The other exception to this is family. If I'm at a family member's home, I'd take off my shoes, but someone's home where I'm not on a personal level with said person, I keep them on because I'd feel awkward otherwise.

That aside, in my own home, we usually took our shoes off at the door (in my case, the front door and the back door). In my case, the exception was whenever we were hauling groceries into the house. Our kitchen is upstairs, so it would be an inconvenience to come in with heavy groceries, take our shoes off, take groceries upstairs, go back down to the front door, put on our shoes, and go back out to the car to bring in the next set of groceries and repeat the process three or four times.

When people would come over, unless it was family, no one would take off their shoes.

Taking your shoes off, though, just makes a heck of a lot more sense to me. It's more comfortable, the floors stay cleaner, and you won't have to worry about tracking anything in.That applies to the teachers too.

I know. Thank you for putting that in for me.

[peterv20]

i know this sounds dumb.what about foot odor?many cultures wash-up a lot as i do yet my own feet still gross me out.sprays and powders do help somewhat .

[TalnSG]

Couple of life long issues here for me.
Not only was I taught that Asians remove their shoes when entering out of respect and to keep from tracking in anything, but because tatami mats (once the primary type of flooring) do not withstand the crushing from shoes well. Can you image what the uprights/stiles of a pair of geta would do to a tatami mat? Bare or stocking feet are far less damaging. From what I have seen in the past 10-20 years, Americans are beginning to realize these benefits and follow suit. They are beginning to notice the divots in hardwood floors that even a slightly built woman in stillettos makes.

But it is still not the general custom in the U.S. To remove your shoes is regarded as beginning to disrobe. Not something you do just anywhere, especially upon arrival in someone else's house. All my life I was teased that you could "pick out the Texans/Southerners" because we were the ones who removed our shoes at the first chance and usually preferred to be barefoot indoors and out.

When I was a child in England, my nanny's house and part of ours (mostly the kitchen) had bare dirt floors. So the only time we removed our shoes was if they were wet - (1) to dry them by the fire grate and (2) so as not to create mud and track it around. I dare say that if I had removed my shoes, except for bathing or going to bed, my nanny would have been appalled.

As for foot odor, the two primary causes are synthetic materials (hard to avoid these days) and skin problems. As chic as patent leather can be, it doesn't breathe and when you add nylon/spandex in today's hosiery you are doomed to smelly feet. The skin can't breathe, the skin sweats from the lack air and abundance of heat, and the result is unavoidable. At least geta and zori don't have this issue ..... unless the zori are the pretty ones often made of vinyl, or the wood of the geta has been varnished.

[spoonybard]

I lived in the continental US for my first six years of life, and always took my shoes off because my mother didn't want the floor to be dirty, and for the sake of comfort. Much time has passed since then, and I STILL take my shoes off mostly for comfort. If you want to ask "Why exactly do Japanese think this?" types of question, you should be asking why they think they are the only ones who don't fold socks on the table. I'm not any kind of Asian, but I had never imagined anybody folding ANY of their clothes on the table, so imagine my irritation when I read this(this is courtesy of J-List):

When I arrived in Japan, one of the concepts I had to get used to was joshiki (pronounced joe-sh'ki), a word meaning "common sense" which is quite important in a homogeneous country like this one. Joshiki is the list of things that every Japanese person knows unconsciously, but which are totally alien to foreigners since we didn't grow up here. In Japan it's joshiki that socks are never placed on the dining room table

WTF?! Who even does that?! This is one of the few instances where I've been enraged by Japan(because they act like they are the only ones who do this, know this, or thinks that way).