2. Don’t wear shoes indoors when visiting Japanese homes.
If you’re visiting a Japanese home, your shoes should be immediately removed once you’re through the door. “Outdoor” shoes are considered unclean, and for this reason they’re replaced with “indoor” slippers at the entranceway. This no-shoe rule also extends to traditional ryoken hotels, some public spaces like temples and shrines, fitting rooms, and schools and hospitals. If you see shoes lined up at a doorway or entrance then you can be sure that they must be removed, and usually slippers will be available for you to slip on. Shoes are also a no-no in the areas of restaurants where diners sit on the floor on traditional tatami mats. In this case, slippers are not worn at all — they could damage the straw matting — so make sure your socks match and are free of holes! Another important rule is to exchange your “indoor” slippers for the special “toilet” slippers when using the toilet. These are kept at the doorway of the toilet area (which is often separate from the bathroom) specially for this purpose. And don’t forget to once again do the switch when leaving the toilet area!