Talking about removing shoes before going into church, John Eliott, my host told me an amusing story.
There was a guy who was part of a minor criminal gang in Japan. The boss of this gang needed a new pair of shoes and he ordered him to go and steal him some shoes.
The man decided that the easiest way to steal shoes would be to take them from the entrance of some sort of public building. He happened to pick a Christian church, but before he could steal a pair of shoes, a lady at the church welcomed him and beckoned him in. He could do little but go and attend the service. The man became a Christian as a result.
Wearing Slippers in Church is wonderful!
I atteneded my first Japanese church service yesterday. You have to remove your shoes before entering the church. There are slippers on a shelf, but I wore my own. It was really comfortable wearing slipers during the service. Though, I dressed as smartly as I would normally.
I think it is a really good idea. In my experinece, most churches in the UK have really dirty carpets or floors.
I think it is a really good idea. In my experinece, most churches in the UK have really dirty carpets or floors.
Tatami
In Japanese homes, most rooms have traditional style straw mat flooring, called tatami.
While wearing slippers is the norm in Japanese homes, they are never worn on the tatami. Slippers are for the hall and kitchen; socks or barefeet are for the tatami. I am impressed by the discipline with which the Japanese remove their slippers before stepping onto the tatami, even if only momentarily.
While wearing slippers is the norm in Japanese homes, they are never worn on the tatami. Slippers are for the hall and kitchen; socks or barefeet are for the tatami. I am impressed by the discipline with which the Japanese remove their slippers before stepping onto the tatami, even if only momentarily.
Genkan
The custom of removing shoes is so essential to Japanese life that it is built into the architecture of houses, and many other kinds of buildings.
At the entrance way of an house is the genkan, an area of floorspace on a lower level to the rest of the house. This is considered to be outside, not inside. Hence you enter the genkan with your shoes on then remove them as you enter the house. You are not supposed to touch the genkan floor with your socks or barefeet, you raise your foot onto the hallway one your shoe is off. However, my hosts, the Eliotts break that rule, as their house is attached to the church building and separated only by the genkan. It would be pretty inconvenient to put shoes on and take them off again ever time they needed to go into the church (which is where I sleep).
In a western house you could use a porch as a genkan, however, the Japanese often have western style porches in addition to their genkans, so they do not remove their shoes in their porches if they have them.
At the entrance way of an house is the genkan, an area of floorspace on a lower level to the rest of the house. This is considered to be outside, not inside. Hence you enter the genkan with your shoes on then remove them as you enter the house. You are not supposed to touch the genkan floor with your socks or barefeet, you raise your foot onto the hallway one your shoe is off. However, my hosts, the Eliotts break that rule, as their house is attached to the church building and separated only by the genkan. It would be pretty inconvenient to put shoes on and take them off again ever time they needed to go into the church (which is where I sleep).
In a western house you could use a porch as a genkan, however, the Japanese often have western style porches in addition to their genkans, so they do not remove their shoes in their porches if they have them.
Dusty!
During my ongoing mission trip to Japan, I spent four days in a log cabin whcih had been built in the Forties. Although we all took our shoes at the door, the insulation was poor and the place was full of dust.
All that dust was not fun. My slippers were new, but they soon looked like I had been wearing them for years. Of course this dust is the same stuff your shoes pick up. How much worse would the house been had we kept our shoes on?
To reduce dust in your house, you should seriously consider instituting a shoes-off policy.
All that dust was not fun. My slippers were new, but they soon looked like I had been wearing them for years. Of course this dust is the same stuff your shoes pick up. How much worse would the house been had we kept our shoes on?
To reduce dust in your house, you should seriously consider instituting a shoes-off policy.
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