Field guide

Ryokan and Japanese Home Etiquette: Shoes, Slippers, Tatami, Yukata

Published October 13, 2026 · by Small Things, Japan

Stepping into a traditional inn, or a Japanese friend's home, for the first time can feel like walking onto a stage where everyone else knows the script. Where do the shoes go? Which slippers are which?

The good news: the script is short, and it follows one simple idea. Indoors, floors are kept clean, because people sit, eat and sleep close to them. Once you see the home that way, every rule about shoes, slippers and mats makes sense. This guide walks you through a stay in the order things happen, from the front door to checkout.

Momiji's tip: Pause for a second at every doorway. In Japanese homes and inns, the doorway is where the "what to wear on your feet" question gets answered.

Want to see it first? Walk through it in 3D with Momiji.

The 30-second version

If you only remember four things, make it these:

• Take off your shoes at the entrance, then turn them so the toes point out.
• Never wear slippers on tatami. Socks or bare feet only.
• Use the toilet slippers only in the toilet, and swap back when you leave.
• Wear the yukata left side over right.

Everything else below is the gentle detail around those four.

The genkan: shoes off, toes out

Almost every Japanese home, and most traditional inns, guesthouses and minshuku (family-run inns), start with a genkan. This is the entry area just inside the door, usually set a little lower than the rest of the floor. The raised edge where the indoor floor begins is called the agari-kamachi, and it works like a border: shoes stay below it, and only socks and slippers go above it.

Here is the usual order:

1. Stop in the genkan. Don't step up yet.
2. Step out of your shoes and straight up onto the raised floor. Try not to put your socks down on the lower floor, which counts as "outside".
3. Turn your shoes so the toes point toward the door. Many people crouch down a little to the side to do this, so they don't turn their back on their host. It keeps the entry tidy and your shoes ready for when you leave.
4. Put on the slippers waiting for you, if there are any.

At an inn, staff may take care of your shoes, or there may be shoe lockers. In a home, put your shoes neatly to one side.

Shoes that slip on and off easily make all of this smoother, and clean socks are a small kindness, since everyone will see them.

Momiji's tip: When you visit a home, a quiet ojama shimasu ("sorry to intrude") as you step up is a lovely touch. It is what Japanese guests say at the door.

Slippers on wood, socks on tatami

Once you are inside, there are two kinds of floor to notice. Hallways and wooden floors are for slippers. Rooms with tatami, the thick woven straw mats, are for socks or bare feet only.

So when you reach a tatami room, step out of your slippers at the doorway and leave them on the wooden floor. Step back into them when you leave. After a day it becomes automatic.

A few more tatami courtesies are worth knowing. Many households and older guides say you should not step on the cloth border of a tatami mat or on the wooden threshold of a sliding door. This is a long-held custom rather than a strict rule, and the reasons given vary. Nobody expects a visitor to tiptoe around every edge, but stepping over them where it is easy shows care. A few other habits help keep the mats in good shape:

• Lift your suitcase onto the tatami instead of rolling it. Wheels can mark the soft straw. Many inns have a luggage rack or a wooden corner for bags.
• Don't place hot cups or wet towels directly on the mats. Use the low table.
• Sit on the floor cushions (zabuton) when they are set out. Kneeling is not required.

Toilet slippers: the classic mix-up

In many homes and inns, the toilet has its own pair of slippers waiting just inside the door. They stay in the toilet. You step out of your hallway slippers, into the toilet slippers, and swap back on the way out.

The famous mistake is forgetting to swap back and wandering down the hallway, or even into the dining room, still wearing them. It happens to almost every first-time visitor, and Japanese people tend to find it more funny than rude. If you notice, just go back and switch.

When you see a separate pair of slippers by a door, it usually means "these are for that room only".

Wearing a yukata the right way

At a ryokan (a traditional inn), your room will usually have a yukata waiting for you: a light cotton robe you can wear to the bath, to dinner and to bed. Some guesthouses and minshuku offer one too.

The one rule that really matters is the direction of the wrap:

1. Put your arms through the sleeves and hold the two front panels open.
2. Wrap the right panel across your body first, so it sits underneath.
3. Bring the left panel over it. The left side ends up on top. Seen from the front, the collar makes a shape like a lowercase "y".
4. Tie the sash (obi) around your waist and knot it. A simple bow at the side or back is perfect.

The reverse, right side on top, is traditionally the way a person is dressed for a funeral, so it is worth getting right. Mixing it up is an honest mistake that hosts are kind about, and staff may quietly point it out.

A short jacket for cooler evenings, if there is one, goes on over the yukata. For how the yukata fits around the big bath, see our guide to onsen etiquette.

Ryokan dinner and the big bath

Meals are one of the joys of a ryokan stay, and they run on a gentle timetable. Many inns ask you to choose a dinner time when you check in, then serve a set meal at that time (source: Japan Tourism Agency). Some serve it in your room (heya-shoku), and others in a dining room or private dining space. If you have allergies or food you cannot eat, tell the inn when you book, because the menu is often prepared in advance.

A quiet itadakimasu before you start and gochisōsama at the end are always welcome. Our restaurant guide covers chopsticks and table manners in more detail.

While you are at dinner or in the bath, staff at some inns come in to lay out your futon, the bedding that rolls out onto the tatami. Some inns and guesthouses ask guests to lay out their own bedding instead; the house guide will say (source: JNTO).

The big shared bath follows the same etiquette as any onsen: wash first, keep your towel out of the water, and dry off before the changing room. Our onsen guide walks through each step.

Quiet nights and checking out

Walls in traditional buildings can be thin, and sliding doors carry sound. Most inns and homes are quiet places in the evening, so keep voices low in the hallways, close doors gently, and turn down videos at night. If you stay in a rental home or guesthouse in a residential street, the neighbors are part of the deal, too.

Check-out at a ryokan is usually in the morning. A few small things make it smooth:

• Leave the futon as it is, unless the guide asks you to fold it. Staff have their own way of handling the bedding.
• Put the used yukata and towels together in one place, such as on the futon or in the basket provided.
• Return keys and anything you borrowed to the front desk.
• Say arigatō gozaimashita ("thank you very much") or, if you'd like to try a warmer phrase, osewa ni narimashita ("thank you for looking after me").

What about tipping? In Japan, tipping is generally not expected, and you only need to pay the amount on the bill (source: JNTO). There is a custom called kokorozuke, a small gratuity given in an envelope in some situations, but it is never required, and many guests never give one. A sincere thank-you at checkout is more than enough.

Staying with a family: small gifts and thank-yous

Visiting a Japanese home, or doing a homestay, is a real privilege. A few small habits show you appreciate it.

Bring a small gift. It is a common custom to bring a temiyage, a small gift for the host, when visiting someone's home. Something from your own country or hometown works beautifully: sweets, tea, or a little local craft. It doesn't need to be expensive. Hand it over with both hands, near the start of the visit.

Follow the house rhythm. Every family is different, from bath times to trash sorting. Ask once, early, and then follow along. "How do you usually do this?" is a question every host is happy to hear.

Bath water at home. In many homes, the family soaks in the same tub of hot water one after another. So wash off fully before getting in, and don't pull the plug unless your host tells you to.

Say thank you twice. Thank your hosts as you leave, and again later with a short message. A photo from the visit or a few words about what you enjoyed means a lot.

Trash at your inn or rental

Japan sorts trash carefully, and the categories change from one city to the next (source: Ministry of the Environment). At an inn, leaving trash in the room bin is usually fine, but if there are separate bins, use them. At a guesthouse or rental home, the house guide is the rule that counts: some ask you to sort cans, bottles and plastic, and some ask you to take certain things with you. When there is no guide, ask.

Quick questions

Can I wear socks on tatami? Yes. Socks or bare feet are both fine. Only slippers and shoes stay off.

Can I wear the yukata outside the inn? In hot spring towns, many guests stroll around in their yukata in the evening. In the inn itself, some places ask you to change before the lobby or certain dining rooms. Check the house guide.

What if I forget a rule? A quick sumimasen (excuse me, sorry) and a smile go a long way. Hosts know visitors are learning.

When rules vary by place

Homes and inns are private spaces, and each one has its own way of doing things. The house rules always win over any guide, this one included. Things most likely to differ:

• Shoes: some modern hotels and apartments let you keep shoes on until your room; homes and traditional inns almost never do.
• Slippers: some homes don't use them at all, and you walk in socks everywhere.
• Meals and futons: served and laid out by staff, or self-service.
• Trash and quiet hours: set by the house, and by the neighborhood.

When in doubt, look for the guide in your room or simply ask.

Before you go

All four home and inn manners live on our checklist. Tap Homes & inns to see just those cards, and watch Momiji step through the genkan from shoes to tatami. If you are new to Japan, our guide to Japanese etiquette for first-time visitors covers the 30 small manners that matter most, place by place.

Short Momiji videos for each step are on the way on our YouTube channel, Small Things, Japan.

Shoes off, slippers on, and enjoy the quiet. A night on tatami is one of the gentlest parts of Japan.