Shoes Off in Japan: How, Where & Why

Shoes off!

Visit any Japanese home – be it a country farmhouse or a Tokyo condo – and the first thing you’ll see inside the doorway is a collection of shoes and slippers.

Shoes come off when you enter a home in Japan, and house slippers are donned instead.

Depending on where you’re visiting from, this either seems familiar and welcome, or a stark contrast to what you’re accustomed to at home.

So what are the rules when visiting Japan? Where can you leave your shoes on, and where do you need to take them off?

Soto & Uchi: The Japanese Notion of Outside & Inside

I’m writing this week’s note while pedaling away at the gym. 

While those who’ve known me for a while might be surprised that I’ve set foot in a gym, set foot I have indeed. And when setting foot in the gym, you have to remove your outdoor shoes and change into gym shoes. 

Not just any gym shoes, mind you, but shoes that have literally never been worn anywhere outdoors, anywhere but a gym really. Gym-exclusive shoes. Many gyms explicitly state this in your membership contract!

Why the strict shoe policy?

It goes to the notion of “outside” versus “inside,” known in Japanese as “soto” and “uchi.”

Outside is considered, well, not clean. Even in Japan, the cleanest country in the world (as we talked about here), there’s still all kinds of stuff out there.

Therefore, one needs to keep their indoor surroundings clean. Like, immaculately clean. As in, you could eat sushi off the tatami floor kinda clean (only I don’t recommend it, on account of those little straw bits).

Genkan: The Japanese Foyer with Shoes & Slippers

Stepping into a home in Japan, the very first thing you’ll do is take off your shoes. 

The foyer is usually sunken, with a stair or two leading up into the home itself. In the case of apartments and condos, if a step-up isn’t present, there’ll be some kind of difference in flooring or a seam, etc. You’ll notice shoes everywhere, lined up; and you’ll probably see slippers, too.

After you remove your shoes, your host will immediately offer you a pair of slippers, and they will neatly arrange your shoes to be ready when you leave.

The slippers are to be worn everywhere in the home. But there are some notable exceptions.

If you’re going out onto the patio, veranda or backyard – hopefully for a good ol’ Japanese home BBQ! – you’ll leave the indoor slippers inside and put on another pair of outdoor slippers as you step out the door.

Number two – and this one’s really important – when you go to the toilet (or washroom, loo or bathroom, depending where you’re from), you are most definitely expected to take off those house slippers before stepping into the, ah, next room. But have no fear, they’ve conveniently got a pair of “toire” (toilet) slippers waiting for you on the other side.

Beyond homes, the shoes-and-slippers thing can be found in a variety of places. Offices may or may not have a foot wardrobe change requirement, depending on the nature of the business.

Where else might you encounter the shoes-off requirement in Japan?

Where You’ll Take Your Shoes Off As a Visitor in Japan

If you visit someone’s home in Japan (and I really hope you’ll have the opportunity to do so!), you now know what the shoe protocol is.

In your Japan self-guided tour, the other places you could see shoes-off situations include hotels (especially Japanese ryokan inns and minshuku guest houses) as well as certain restaurants.

If you’re staying in a western style hotel in Japan, such as an international chain or a Japanese “business hotel,” the lobby and corridors will be the same as you’d see elsewhere in the world. But it’s expected that, once you get to the hotel room itself, you take off your shoes and wear the slippers provided.

When staying in ryokan and minshuku (Japanese inns & guest houses), the shoe removal often occurs at the doorway. But this can vary with the size and style of the inn or guesthouse. 

In restaurants where you’re seated in a private/semi-private room or sunken floor area, you’ll see (or be directed to) a location where everyone removes their shoes and puts on slippers – or goes forward in socks, in the case of tatami rooms.

If getting up from your table at the restaurant and going to the toilet, remember to change into a special pair of slippers that are to be worn in the loo as well as en route to and from.

“Do We Have to Take Our Shoes Off in Japan?”

The short answer to the objection to show removal is, yes, you should take off your shoes when asked to do so in Japan.

Not doing so would be considered impolite to your hosts.

If you’re concerned about smelly feet, well, we’re all human beings and certain things go with the territory.

In cases where they don’t have slippers in your size (it happens sometimes, given the body (and foot) size differences between Japan and the west), you can walk around in socks.

If you’re the kind of person who likes to go sockless, or you’re wearing sandals, it’d be a good idea to have a pair of socks with you to change into for these occasions.

All of us internationals in Japan, be it visitors or expats, by default are ambassadors of our country. A little bit of cultural respect and knowledge goes a long way. Just like learning the language or bowing for a greeting, your Japanese hosts will appreciate that you’re making an effort.

Our experiences abroad are enhanced by not just knowing about cultural norms but leaning into them.

In Japan, it starts with shoes… off.

Until next time, happy travels!