Shoe Etiquette

In Japan,  you normally have different types of shoes to go to the restroom, to drive in your car, to go outside of your house, to go inside your house, for Japanese dancing.  The trick is to know which shoes go with which activity and when not to wear shoes.  For example, you should not wear shoes in a dressing room in Japan.  I learned that when a Japanese sales person began yelling at me when she saw me wearing shoes in a dressing room.

In the United States, in many Japanese American homes,  people take off their shoes before walking inside the house. Many families have slippers by the front door to wear inside the house.  It does keep the carpet cleaner.