Japanese culture has many ancient traditions. For example, when entering a Japanese home did you know that you are required to take off your shoes? In Japan culture plays an important part of everyday life, so it’s essential to show respect and always remove your footwear when entering houses in Japan. This means that slip-on or easy to remove shoes are a must.

Obviously, if you are wearing high lace up boots then it is going to get annoying real fast when you have to take them off every time you enter Japanese homes. It’s a good idea to purchase some new socks before your trip too and make sure to always wear clean, hole-free ones as you never know when you may need to take off your shoes. Some Japanese restaurants, temples and traditional hotels will also require that you remove your footwear too. The idea is to keep the dirt from the street outside and preserve the clean Japanese home decor. Most Japanese homes will also feature what is called ‘tatami’. This is the traditional straw matting that you may have visions of Japanese samurai sitting on. Walking on the Japanese tatami mats in anything more than socks is a definite no-no and you will quickly offend your host.

Japanese interiors may feature tatami prominently, however these days most houses in Japan only have one traditional style tatami room. It may be furnished with a sparse amount of Japanese furniture, while the rest of the house will often be of a Western feel. Even without the Japanese tatami room, most Japanese homes will feature a traditional part of Japanese decor called the ‘genkan’. Japanese interiors are usually raised higher, while the genkan will be lower so that you step up into the Japanese home.

Remove your shoes at the genkan and leave them there. There may be place to store them, or you may turn them around ready to step into when you leave and put them to the side out of the way. Or, you may even return to find that your host has neatly arranged them for you, a polite gesture in the culture of Japan. So remember to always where clean socks and remove your shoes when entering a Japanese home and pay respect to their Japanese traditions and culture.

Have you ever stayed at a traditional Japanese hotel? In Japan they have a number of different types of hotels such as capsule hotels, business hotels, love hotels, western style hotels and of course the old style hotel.

More like an inn, these traditional style hotels are called ‘ryokan’. In the city they may be located in more modern premises, but in the country towns they usually appear more like the image we have of Old Japan. However, even at a city ryokan hotel, step inside and you will be instantly immersed in Japanese culture and hospitality. The staff will make you feel most welcome, and will even take care of transforming your room from a private dining room, into a bedroom come nightfall.

Featuring lovely decor, many ryokan have relaxing hot springs either attached to them, or conveniently located nearby. The traditional-style rooms often mean sleeping on the floor, but the soft futons and tatami matting will ensure you have a peaceful sleep. In the morning ditch the Western breakfast (which you’ll usually find is just toast!) and try a carefully prepared multi-dish Japanese meal.

The combination of different foods and flavors is not only healthy, but a taste-sensation and a great way to start your day of traveling or sightseeing with vigor. We thoroughly recommend booking into a ryokan when you visit Japan, after all if you want to stay in a western hotel why are you visiting Japan for anyway!