Can you wear slippers on tatami?
In short
Better notTake off your slippers before entering a tatami room. Walk on tatami in socks or bare feet.
When does this apply?
In Japanese homes and ryokan you wear slippers in the corridors, but you take them off at the entrance of a tatami room (washitsu) and leave them neatly outside.
Why?
Tatami is a delicate rush-grass floor where people sit and lie down. Slippers wear it out and bring in dirt, so the custom is to walk on it with your feet.
What to do
- Take off your slippers at the entrance of a tatami room
- Leave them neatly lined up outside the room
- Walk on tatami in socks or bare feet
Better to avoid
- Walk on tatami in slippers
- Drag a suitcase across the tatami
Exceptions and differences
Wooden-floored parts of a room or the veranda (engawa) may be used with slippers. Follow any guidance the facility provides.
Manners can differ by region, facility and generation. Local signs and staff instructions come first.
Check with a quiz
You enter a tatami room at a ryokan. What about your slippers?
Choose an answer
Sources
- Understanding and Mastering Japanese Manners and Etiquette(opens in a new tab)
- The "Genkan": Japan's Traditional Entryway and Footwear Etiquette(opens in a new tab)
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