One thing I never 屈服する (gave in to) while living here in the US for many years is to wear shoes inside the house.  正直言って (Frankly), I don’t understand why anyone wants to do that.  You walk around all day outside, stepping on who knows what; then you come home and keep your shoes on inside your house?

In Japan, we take off our shoes in 玄関 (entrance hall) before continuing on into the house.  If you’re a guest, you will be given a pair of slippers to wear inside the house.  But if you are entering a 和室 (Japanese style room) with 畳 (tatami or straw mat), you must take off your slippers.  If you need to use the トイレ (bathroom), you need to put your slippers back on to go to the bathroom, but in the bathroom, you must wear the bathroom slippers.  Once you’re 用を済ませる (done with your business), take off the bathroom slippers, put your slippers back on, but take them off again before entering back in the tatami room.

Sound ややこしい (complicated)?  You bet.  This can be a litmus test for a non-Japanese.  If you are new to the country, the chances are, you’ll still be wearing the bathroom slippers outside the bathroom.  But no, we are not doing this to test you.  We are just a bit 神経質でうるさい (neurotic and fussy).  OK, we are testing you.

The real reason for these rules is because we have strict boundaries regarding spaces.  Taking off our shoes in the entrance hall symbolizes we are entering a プライベートで神聖な空間 (private and sacred space).  A tatami room embodies tranquility and cultural significance.  We don’t only take off our slippers, we also don’t step on the 敷居 (thresholds) nor the 畳のヘリ (edges of tatami mats).  In archaic Japanese, bathroom/toilet was called ご不浄 (gofujo), which literally means “unsanitary.”  We need another pair of slippers to be used in such an impure space.

Aside from our 特異性 (idiosyncrasies), there are additional benefits of 素足でいる (being barefoot) at home.  It improves foot strength and stability, enhances your balance and coordination, improves circulation, and helps sensory feedback.  Why not dare to go barefoot, taking off your shoes at home if you haven’t already been doing so?  It’s your choice, but I recommend trying it.