Removal of footwear indoors
In religions originating in the Indian subcontinent and in the Middle East, it is customary to remove one's shoes when entering a house of worship.
In Japan, the genkan, an entryway area to a house, apartment, or building, is where outdoor shoes are removed, and where one changes into uwabaki, indoor slippers.
In addition, there are separate toilet slippers (トイレスリッパ, toire surippa) into which one changes before entering the washroom from the rest of the house.
The outdoors are considered to be an extremely unclean space by the Japanese people, alongside the aforementioned toilet area.
It is habitual to remove outdoor footwear and put on a pair of slippers after entering the Chinese household, although some people in certain parts of China do not take off their shoes at home.
Modern Korean apartments often have built-in shoe cabinets at the hyun-gwan, which doubles as a storage area for other objects.
Some temples like Batu Caves and religious places such as mosques and suraus require the removal of shoes before entering.
Some smaller private offices and mixed shopfront-offices exercise the removal of shoes, especially on (but not limited to) carpeted floors.
[12] Many workplaces in Myanmar also have shoe-free areas, or restrict footwear altogether, with shoes typically left at the corridor or at the entrance of an office.
[16] Strict enforcement of this custom, however, is partly a legacy of British rule in Burma, during which Europeans refused and were exempted from removing their footwear when entering Buddhist places of worship.
[17] In pre-colonial Burma, non-royals removed their footwear before entering palace grounds, as a token of respect for the reigning monarch.
[18] This "shoe question" became a rallying cry for Burmese nationalists, comparable to the cow protection movement in neighboring British India.
[19][16] The Ledi Sayadaw, a prominent Buddhist monk, penned On the Impropriety of Wearing Shoes on Pagoda Platforms, which drew in widespread support for the YMBA's activism.
[20] In 1919, after a two-year battle, Thein Maung, a YMBA member, successfully persuaded the colonial government to issue an order prohibiting footwear on the grounds of religious sites.
[23] Burmese authorities subsequently announced a crackdown tourists wearing shoes inside Bagan's pagodas.
When people walk outside wearing shoes, they tend to bring dirt, grime, bacteria and infectious diseases into the house.
Because of this, the use of slippers (commonly referred to as pantofole or ciabatta) in the Italian home has become universal; wool types are worn during the winter and open-toed during the summer.
Furthermore, areas outside the home are considered dirty and thus the use of shoes which fully cover the foot are mandated, harking back to the stereotype of the overly-tidy Italian mother and her mammoni children.
In Portugal, it is equally common for people to go barefoot in the home due to the warm weather, cleaner surfaces and proximity to the ocean.
Generally speaking, the Portuguese and Spaniards usually set their own rules regarding footwear in their own homes, while visitors expect to be given instruction.
), most of which are in Eastern Europe, people will take off their shoes at home and will expect visitors to do so, unless it is a formal meeting or a social event.
), people traditionally remove their shoes and either walk barefoot or wear indoor slippers at home, especially in winter.
In Canada, it is generally seen as bizarre, unhygienic and rude when guests don't take off their shoes when entering the home.
Taking shoes off indoors is not a tradition within the continental United States,[35][36] but is considered expected in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
[38] In New England, many elementary schools require students to bring an indoor pair of shoes as well as winter boots.
