Japan - How To #2 - Shoes and Genkan

[310BPM]

so.. barefeet in the house (someone else's). OK or not OK?

[cree69]

well in Lithuania we also take off shoes when we come in a house/apartment, but there is no such thing such genkan, just leave it in the entryway or near door.

[soulthepinkmage]

Oh wow we do the same thing in my house!

[vidEOkid12345]

Good thing i never tie my laces, i just tuck em down the side of my shoe xD

[Ahya728]

Is Converse ever sold in Japan? Because I have one, high cut, and it's frustrating.

[triFeral]

The '5 stars' annotation gave me a feel of nostalgia, back when YouTube had star ratings.

[japancarl96]

We have that Like in sweden we take our shoes off befor entering houses.. :D

[Rathos02]

THANKYOU! trying to see past anime, i've been worried that the genkan might be one of those things that ppl just have "when they want to". Living in Sweden, no1 ever walks in with shoes- thats just unfair to the people that in the end have to clean up ur shit ;)

[billybassman21]

This custom is just very weird to me. At the end of the day it really doesn't matter either way. Many people wear shoes inside and live happy, heathy lives. It's annoying having to remove your shoes everytime you come inside someones house just because they are germaphobic, clean freaks or are following some tradition. You can actually get more deseases like toenail fungus or athlete's foot by walking where others are barefoot. Let me know ahead of time so I can bring some slippers please.

[zabetheli90]

I was raised to never wear shoes in the house. My mother used to have a pedestal with socks in it to put on before you came in our home. She once yelled at the comcast guy for stepping on her floors with his shoes!

[troudan]

OH! Also In what cases would a room have tatami mats over another room?

[troudan]

My big question is "why"? "why" are so many things done on the floor in japan and other asian coutries. I read some where that it had to do with Budistism and another site said it had to do with sleeping on the floor. That the entire floor is and extention of the bed? Can you, maybe answer this for me. My girlfriend is Japanese so I am trying to study up a bit before she visits.

[MaxichaChan]

Always thought the buffer zone between inside n outside was the door... So much to learn...

[nooyawkfun]

Thank you for your informative videos. I have a friend who spent a number of years in Japan and returned to the US recently. He established a genkan in his home and was impressed that I knew the etiquette.

[JL3Wind]

I'm actually more suprised about the fact that they actually keep their shoes on indoors in places like the USA. Here in Sweden we take off our shoes like this to, but i've yet to see a lowered place to put your shoes on like this :)

[healie]

@JL3Wind Really? I didn't think it was so weird.

Here in the USA if you remove your shoes in public, people will look at you funny and probably steal your shoes, or ask you to leave the business. You may also see some businesses with the sign "No shirt? No shoes? No service."

I usually take my shoes off in my home, but there's no designated area to put them. It's a huge tripping hazard LOL. If I'm only popping inside for a minute, I'll leave my shoes on when I walk around.

[JL3Wind]

@healie Well, in Sweden we aren't really as "hardcore" about this as the japanese, like, almost all the restaurants i've been to demands that you have shoes, but a lot of public places actually wants you to take them off before entering! I have never had my shoes stolen (yet) :)

Not everyone here take off their shoes in their homes, but the majority do. Of course, if you're just running in to get something they might be on, but otherwise its very uncommon. Sometimes they end up in a pile to :)

[healie]

@JL3Wind It's pretty similar there than it is the US, then, only I can't think of a single place I have been to that requires you to take off your shoes (unless it's the play place in Mcdonalds lol)

[Bunnychanx3]

what if they're flip flops o-o

[MRABE900]

XD in Mexico near the desert there's barely floors(where my grandparents live) and in japan do they think Rap/ Hip Hop is wierd. I'm a 15 year old mexican wannabe rapper who wants to go to collage there. I used to live Chigago( very cold) than Georgia. I think japan is really intersting country ( god bless you) and really spend my time time or even raise a family there LOL. Is there such thing as Japanese rap

[Pinkspiderable]

@MRABE900

Yes MRABE900 you can count on Rap music, metal, there are so many talented musicians in Japan it will blow your mind.

[draxpendragon]

hehe..always wear clean socks...always

[YuixUzumaki]

In Mexico, all houses have tile floors. In every room. It rare to see carpet. But anyway, Mexico also has a lot of dirt rodes and dust (at least where i live) so the floor gets filthy just by opening the the windows and doors.So wearing shoes or not doesnt really matter. Its a shame I cant practice taking off my shoes when i get into the house for when i get to Japan.

[tetranoob]

umm what if you are in a wheelchair? do you have to remove the wheels lol.seriously how do the Japanese deal with this issue? an indoor and outdoor wheelchair? oh and a step inside every house seems inconvenient.

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@tetranoob

There is a "disabled in Japan" video on the "how to" playlist.

[tetranoob]

@TheJapanChannelDcom Oh thank you.- watched it - (I can see in some ways Japan excels in disability access)

I am really enjoying your howto videos. The cultural differences are fascinating.

[tetranoob]

@tetranoob * and wishing you and loved ones safety.

[wheeler1]

@TheJapanChannelDcom I'll look for it! I need it! (hence the nickname)

[dedeen]

In Canada most houses don't have Genkan, but we do put thick mats at the indoor doorstep, and sometimes coarse (for mud and dirt) mats at the outdoor doorstep.

It's unheard of for us to keep our shoes on inside... that would just track dirt, and wear out your shoes. Just take them off at the mat to soak any water or dirt, and then store them in a shoe rack to keep them from the floor.

[MidnightFreed]

I like this. Over here this kind of stuff is considered to be OCD. But hey, this is what I call education!

[haloffx]

My family is like this to yes im japanese. But , anyway since we are in America is it still a genkan if its like in our garage area?

[stopusinaar]

Similar to thailand also

[TrappedButterflyInc]

My house has one of those little areas in front of the door, and then the little wood thing you step up on. I always wondered what was with that, considereing i live in little old South Carolina

[Waterclock002]

Here in Austria everyone takes off their shoes and coat at the entrance, there's a rack for umbrellas, shoes and one to hang your coat / hat. Often there's a cupboard for storage as well. Outside the door there's a mat to clean the shoes off before entering the house.

Where do you leave your coat and umbrella in Japan, is there an area next to the genkan for that? I'm asking because if my coat was wet, I wouldn't want to drizzle on the wood.

[UltraGanjagirl420]

do you know about toe shoes that is pretty much all i wear and i want to visit japan what will they think of my weird toe shoes and toe socks

[aaaiiiyyy]

I just started studying Japanese and our teacher told us about "genkan". Thanks for this video!

[tytania3545]

What do they do when they come from a walk with their dog? My dog comes from a walk so happy he runs into the house when I open the door, my floor is never a 100% clean.

[Inufreak991]

Laces with a zipper on the side! GENIUS!!!

[Octavideoz]

what about the summer when you dont wear socks?

[PounceTeazle]

In Finland you have the same systhem, bare tiled room in front of the real house door where you change footwear.

Bathrooms are considerd clean enough though (and research showed that the big majority of bathrooms beat the kitchen in cleanliness, seems all the fat coming up from cooking and then settling down in every crack and nook breeds bacteria faster than you can clean after.

[mattshad]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THIS VIDEOS!!!!! u have no idea how much we appreciate it

[Cuppedycupcake]

I don't know if it's because I live in the south, but a lot of ppl take their shoes off at the door. Everyone else in America doesn't seem to from the comments....

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@pokerfacex101

They would think it was dirty to keep them in your room..

there is a cupboard in the genkan..

[pivotair]

Its so suprising that USA is allmost the only country that dont take of their shoes in houses.

[parrish001]

@pivotair

I agree. The idea of taking off your shoes before you enter a home here is really strange to people... I know if I tried asking a family member to do this, I'd be laughed at.

[illuminatijews]

we usually have carpets at the entrance, at least in our house. Either way, our floors are pretty dirty. I think they should just use carpets, its much easier.

[ShimmyunderBubblez]

Whenever you enter a public building, like a school or a restaurant do you have to take your shoes off there too?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@ShimmyunderBubblez

Not always.

Best to check as you walk through the door.

Look for lots of shoes!!

[genuinebbuck]

What if about bare feet on the wood?

[99Crystals]

Is it okay to sit on the wooden floor to take your shoes off and then leave them on the genkan? I'm asking caus I've seen this many times in anime... : D Besides that'd be easier, right? Atleast you wouldn't trip over hehe.

Do they have this kind of things in restaurants as well?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@99Crystals

Only very young kids do that... not cool..

(anime is not real ^_^)

[Cuppedycupcake]

@TheJapanChannelDcom What about if you have laced shoes? Could you sit down to put them on? I only ask cause I have a hard time standing on one foot and it'd be hard for me to do.

[FULLCOLORSVARiATiON]

@TheJapanChannelDcom is it okay to go barefoot on the wood? or just with socks? Y-Y

[SaiKamiKannon]

That Japanese way of doing certain things makes so much more sense! hmm...was that a mail slot? Cool!

[notgoing2argue]

御邪魔します

[sablahedning]

this is allmost like here in norway^^ walking in to someones house with shoes on is really rude here too^^ if u got stinky feet u need to ask kindly if u can vear ur shoes because ur feet stinks, but even then ppl often will prefer ur stinky feet to your shoes,^^

[isuckatguitar12]

what if your feet stink? that would be embarassing... but seriously, if your invited somewhere and you take your shoes off and your feet stink, what will people think?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@isuckatguitar12

Yeah.. same as most countries, I guess... not cool.

[garblojones]

@isuckatguitar12 well if your feet stink, that's a whole different problem... its not hard to keep your feet from stinking.

[isuckatguitar12]

@garblojones well like when i get home from school, ive been wearing shoes and socks all day so when i take my shoes off my feet stink a bit. do japanese people not wear shoes as often for reasons like this or do they just wash the crap out of their feet?

[garblojones]

@isuckatguitar12 hmm good point ... too bad they dont have slippers at american schools like in japan. that also helps from keeping your feet from stinking. I dunno, I grew up in america and didnt have that problem ... but it could be genetic - hell if i know. Anyhow - wash your feet more (and thorough), get a few new pairs of shoes and switch them out regularly - and switch your socks too.

[panzertank15]

Awesome! This is really informative and I enjoyed watching it. Nice work.

[Jamezy1991]

seems like its not easy to be disabled in japan, if there is a step in every house :P

[Eaglegirl12]

I don't know where anyone gets on the fact that American homes never take their shoes off...they usually do, and if not they put slippers on usually in their own homes. It's more polite and respectable to the visitors home. In England I've never seen a house where you didn't take off your shoes and I guess from my mothers insistence of the rule in our household...it's pretty normal.

[stevelysteve]

@Eaglegirl12

Yeah, I don't know where people get that assumption either.

At almost every house except for my own (we don't require it because we have tiled and easy to clean floors) that I've been to (and I'm in America) it's generally a rule to take off your shoes before you go past the foyer or doormat. =/

[Emilydasmexy]

Is it disrespectful to get drunk in Japan? :o

I'm definitely going to need to know that if I move there someday. ^-^

[Milelke92]

In America, it would be rude if you are a non-family/friend guest and you take off your shoes. However, most people take off their shoes when in their own house.

[DragonBaine]

Dont try to walk in with shoes in Poland as well, its only a kind lie of the host saying that you dont have to take off your shoes.

You have to, it feels RLY insulting and so have i been raised as well, i feel almost something like hate when someone tries that XD

[dynamiteguitar]

hey, your videos are very good! i am going to make an attempt to watch all your videos because.....I LOVE JAPAN! and japanese culture and people. so i appereciate your effort for making these videos for people that love japanese, so we can gain a better understanding.

[dynamiteguitar]

hey, your videos are very good! i am going to make an attempt to watch all your videos because.....I LOVE JAPAN! and japanese culture and people. so i appereciate your effort for making these videos for people that love japanese, so we can gain a better understanding.

[lunanine9]

Is it rude to walk barefoot on the floor if I take off my slip on shoes and I'm not wearing socks?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@lunanine9

Not the best.. but OK if your feet are super clean..

[poisonuslizard]

thank god i live in america land of the free

[xxEmoLycanGirlxx]

Me an my mom are going to try this out and make a Genkan on our porch. :D We're so lazy sometimes though and just leave our shoes on throughout the house till we get tired of wearing them and we'll get stickers and dirt on our feet. And it's really gross and it hurts Dx. ( We live out in the desert. :/)

[SAJANOVA]

u know ur lucky for being there.. trust me hahahah..

thumps up!

[Chuloloc]

Awesome. Amazing advice. Much love for Japan.

[Clearie552]

ZIPPER! clever japanese... I'm always surprised by the small creative solutions like that. sock paste, bicycle lockers, chopstick-putting blocks...

[liveouss]

Yes 5 stars for the shoes :)

[thehorselovers2128]

Hell no ima not givin up my J's

[Shivanessa]

Thank you very much for that interessting and helpfull videos! *bow*

My I ask a question: You said, that it is embarrising to have holes in the socks. So what about sweaty feet? If someone has to put out his shoes and has sweety or stinky feet - that would be very embarissing to, would'nt it?

[mythicalproductions]

5 stars for clever shoes :D

[einarkva]

Very good videos. I watched them all before I traveled to Japan. I am in Japan now for my first time and was invited to someones home and was able to do the right things because I had watched the videos.

[Snuzzlekin]

5 stars for the darkness!

[rosa2you]

Thats what my mom makes me do and were Persian.. she also hates it when I put my text books on my bed.. shes a neat freak!

[ikuto1kyo2yuki3luvr]

5 stars for clever shoes ^.^

[DeathOfCrane]

@ikuto1kyo2yuki3luvr those shoes are awesome

[jmt1000]

@ikuto1kyo2yuki3luvr No, 5 Stars for Clever Video Comments. They always keep me entertained!

[whiskers3444]

whe do that at home here in iceland !

[nightskill01]

We take our shoes before entering the mainroom but only at home.

5*

[Serkant75]

this is same in turkish culture. we put shoes off before entering the main room

[Enkeria]

Same here, Sweden.

[Revenization]

Can you chew gum?! cause I heard you can't and I have to have my gum.

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Revenization

rarely see it

[BAPEtAh]

All the students in my university carried gum with them and shared it with me.

So as far as I know they don't have a problem with it. And they have a lot of differen gum flavors haha!

[Japanesebooknerd2]

I have read that it is actually impolite to point your shoes towards the inside of the house so if you are invited to a japanese house make sure to point them towards the door, it also makes life easier as well while putting them back on again. :D

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Japanesebooknerd2

That is true :-)

[Xraid32]

Tons of countries have their family & guests take their shoes off at their home...but shoes off at restaurants & businesses? That's not common.

[ameyxo]

It's interesting, because here in Canada we always take off our shoes too... I was actually a bit surprised when I learned that in America they do not. Because your floor would always be so dirty! We just take them off at the front door and store them in a closet/shoe rack, some houses have Genkan styled places, I don't think we call them that, though!

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

That is interesting, thank you :-)

[redwolf481]

@TheJapanChannelDcom how hard is it for an american to immigrate to japan?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@redwolf481

Watch the "work and visas" video.

[TheOneReesy]

Yea, here in Wales (I do anyway) we take our shoes off close to the front door... maybe just my family though because my mam likes the carpet.. hehe :P

[TheTaweko]

coming from Canada as well, that surprised me about America too

[totaldramaqueen108]

well, we take our shoes off in my house, and so do some other American families. But NO ONE takes their shoes off in restaurants and businesses :)

[Clearie552]

@ameyxo in america it varies. from my experience it correlates with how classy a house is. people with nice polished wood floors will usually take their shoes off, but messy small houses with linolium kitchens won't care as much.  my house we used to not do it, but since my parents bought some nicer carpets now we do.

[LordNazgulKing]

@ameyxo Same in England and the rest of Britain, and with the Genkan styled places, although we just call it a porch, or you just take your shoes off on the door step. I guess this is just some thing that's different to Americans, lol.

[Rgo594]

@LordNazgulKing no actually in most houses in america most people do take off there shoes when they enter a house, its not required, its not considered rude if you wear your shoes on in the house,but most people do take the shoes off, in fact if i wear my shoes in my house my mom usually screams at me

[SakuraAvalonBleac25]

@ameyxo

heh i do that also! take my shoes off at my door(i thought it was just me that did it xD)

my carpet would be freaken dirty if i didnt do this ^^

[TheOlyWolf]

@ameyxo Actually, it really depends on the household you go to. For instance, all the my relatives (and my family as well) take their shoes off when entering their own house or someone else s house. But sometimes when I go to a friends house and take off my shoes, they will give me a weird look. So it depends on the household.

[Jade7272]

@ameyxo they don't take off their shoes?? O_o I had no idea...

(canadian as well) wow - i just learned something new!

[Penguinsmacker0]

@ameyxo we do at my house :D all except my dad because he's kinda a pig >.>

[Cuppedycupcake]

@ameyxo Actually a lot of ppl in America do, but it's a preference thing here. Usually someone will ask you to take your shoes off at the door if they don't want you to wear them in.

[uzumaki210]

clever

[weya]

I'm just curious about that box-looking thing on the back of the door. Was it the mail slot? I thought perhaps it was a box of disposable house slippers, but the former seems more logical... :/

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

yes, our mail box  :-)

[JesusGirlz09]

Disposable slippers that's a good idea!

[glovnhand]

I like your anotations reminding me to rate, your videos deserve it but I can never remember.

[mitternacht07]

Ah, thanks for the info I guess everybody likes to feel special!!

[mitternacht07]

The holein the socks issue is very famous world wide I`ve seen it and I just can`t stop laughing....but is serious specially if you know you are going to remove your shoes at somebody elses home, Here where I live we do same thing and even the host is able to borrow you something to wear.,to me I prefer to bring my own sleepers...Can we bring them as a gift in Japan?? Would it be a good thing to do??

[Degenskonto]

Not that I know, but Im guessing they would like just about anything. Ive read in various blogs that people give just about anything, its the thought that counts the most!

[StakeJade]

I knew about the custom of removing your shoes... but I never knew about the Genkan. I thought that it was wierd that people would leave their shoes outside as I have seen in some movies. The Genkan is more logical.

[camouflagecrocodile]

I kinda have that rule in my house, I always leave the shoes near the front door, it just feels weird walking around the house with shoes on.

[dudemanman252]

what happens if you dont take your shoes off (do you get banned?)

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

Maybe.. you wont get invited again.

[dudemanman252]

awe that sucks

[theIchthysFish]

imagine walking into your grandmother's house with mud all over your shoes.

It's probably a reaction like that whether your shoes are filthy or not

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

Exactly right!

[dudemanman252]

o ok

[HapitokP]

You know,I use the shoe policy at my house,I make everyone take off their shoes when they walk into my house or my room :)

[D5932]

veeeeeeeeeeeeeery detailed explanation.

[Degenskonto]

When were talkin about shoes...

How easy is it to find european(and american) size shoes? I mean i guess the japanese havent got too big feet..... If there are any thats larger than 45 are they extremely expensive and dont come in many designs etc?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

we can get them.. but rare a less variety of style!

[Degenskonto]

I got size 47, even here the maxium size that you will ever find without doing a special order is 48...

maybe it would just be easier to get a relative to send down a pair?

Im planing to go down and study japanese in about 3 years... im kind of stocking up on knowledge before hand so the culture shock wont be as big

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

maybe stock up on shoes too :-)

[Degenskonto]

Yeah that would work too

[xmadteaparty]

we always take our shoes off in finland haha but we have a room for that not just a small are alike that :) and i don't put my shoes that nicely together i kick them off and see where they land and then leave em there xD

one question: how many kanjis do you know? :) i find kanji the hardest to learn.. do you think there's someone who knows them all? :D

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

They have competitions on TV here where they show intelligent people kanji to see who knows them.

I don't think anyone knows them all.

I only know a few.

[ForeverNarutoUzumaki]

I love all your videos. They're very helpful for me for whenever I got to Japan sometime soon.

[darkgx137]

Is it me or so the Japanese have more logic in culture, etc than the west, especially the shoes thing

[AreaCode090]

I first knew that Japanese people were very tidy and clean..

[JustaEropeanGuy]

We have a room like that(antre)

[writofmandamus]

...dirty clothes now right? Just like the bed too, I don't see how people can tuck themselves into bed when they're like wearing jeans or something. Just sharing my thoughts, thanks for the videos.

[writofmandamus]

yeah unless a house is already visibly dirty, i don't see how people can be comfortable with like walking around on a nice fresh carpet, or nice shiny hardwood floor with their dirty shoes. It's your own house so why do you want to treat it as if it was the dirty outside, as if you're just living in the wilderness (exaggeration of course, but i think you get my point). I guess what I'm saying is Asians see their house as close enough to them as are their own clothes. You don't want to be wearing

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

Wilderness??

Funny you say that.. my friend in Japan says he thinks westerners always live like they are camping!!

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

yeah, never shoes inside in Japan but they do use house slippers (video coming soon!)

but slippers are never worn on tatami of course!

Yeah, Japanese culture is a spin out!

[DemonofChaos264]

Cool.

[frostseasons]

amazing, I usually walk across the room with my shoes on

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

sure!

in my old country we always do too!

shoes inside and often shoes outside is normal..

but in Japan it is way not cool!

that is why i thought i should mention it..

thanks for watching!

[Evilhamster13]

lets say your shoes were hard to get off, would it be polite or impolite to sit down on the step to take your shoes off instead of fiddling with them and possibly fall?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

yeah, that would usually be ok.. that is what small children do :-)

[Evilhamster13]

haha you really know alot about japanese culture!

You know how to speak fluent japanese right?

Did you take any special class, or a learn japanese dvd or audio cd?

I really want to learn this language, the writing seems the hardest part to learn....

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

I know a little bit because I live here but I don't know any foreigner who speaks "fluent" Japanese.

Check out our website forum.. we have been discussing this.