日本では、家に入る前に靴を脱ぎます。これは昔からとても大切な習慣です。外国から来た人は少し驚くでしょうが、日本の人にとってはごく普通のことです。靴を脱がないで家に上がる人は、ほとんどいません。
In Japan, you take off your shoes before entering a house. This is an important custom that has been around for a long time. People from other countries may be a little surprised, but for Japanese people it is perfectly ordinary. Almost no one steps into a home without removing their shoes first.
どうして靴を脱ぐのでしょうか。一番大きな理由は、家の中をきれいにしたいからです。日本は雨が多いですから、靴に水や泥がよく付きます。靴を履いたまま家に入ってはいけません。床が汚れてしまいますし、畳の部屋もすぐに傷んでしまいます。
Why do people take off their shoes? The biggest reason is that they want to keep the inside of the house clean. Japan gets a lot of rain, so shoes often pick up water and mud. You must not enter the house with your shoes on. The floor would get dirty, and tatami rooms would be damaged quickly.
家の玄関は、外と中を分ける大切な場所です。玄関で靴を脱いで、スリッパに履き替えます。スリッパを履きながら、廊下や台所を歩くことができます。でも、畳の部屋ではスリッパも脱がなければなりません。畳の上は、靴下だけで静かに歩きます。
The genkan, the entryway of the house, is an important place that separates the outside from the inside. You take off your shoes at the genkan and change into slippers. Wearing slippers, you can walk through the hallway and the kitchen. However, in tatami rooms you have to take off the slippers as well. On the tatami, you walk quietly in just your socks.
トイレには、特別なスリッパがあります。トイレに入る前に、普通のスリッパを脱いで、トイレのスリッパに替えます。出る時も、忘れないで履き替えなければなりません。たまにそのまま部屋に戻る人もいますから、少し恥ずかしいですね。
There are special slippers for the toilet. Before going in, you take off your regular slippers and switch to the toilet slippers. When you come out, you must not forget to switch back. Sometimes people go back to the room still wearing them, which is a little embarrassing.
学校やお寺、旅館などでも靴を脱ぎます。学校では、子供たちは上履きに履き替えてから、教室に入ります。家族や客が家に来た時も、玄関で「どうぞ」と言って、新しいスリッパを出してあげます。靴を見たり、並べたりしながら、少し話すこともあります。
You also take off your shoes at schools, temples, and traditional inns. At school, children change into indoor shoes before entering the classroom. When family or guests arrive at the house, you say "please come in" at the genkan and set out fresh slippers for them. Sometimes you chat for a bit while looking at the shoes and lining them up neatly.
外国の文化より少し面倒だと思うかもしれませんが、家に帰って靴を脱ぐと、本当にほっとします。靴を脱ぐ文化は、体だけでなく心も休ませてくれる、とてもいい習慣だと思います。
It might seem a little more troublesome than the customs of other countries, but when you come home and slip off your shoes, you really do feel relieved. The custom of taking off your shoes is a wonderful habit that rests not only the body but also the mind.