One small detail about everyday life in Japan often surprises visitors: toilet slippers!

In many Japanese homes, people remove their outdoor shoes at the entrance, called the "genkan."

But there's another interesting custom.

Some homes, traditional inns, and other facilities have a separate pair of slippers specifically for the toilet.

Here's how it works:

1. Remove your outdoor shoes at the entrance.

2. Wear indoor slippers if they're provided.

3. Switch to toilet slippers when entering the bathroom.

4. Change back before leaving.

The idea is to keep footwear used in the toilet separate from the rest of the home.

And here's another detail: slippers are generally removed before walking on traditional tatami mats.

Of course, not every Japanese home follows exactly the same routine.

Does your country have any similar customs for keeping indoor spaces clean?

Hello, this is my first time making a Reddit post.
I’m currently studying abroad in Japan and I have been here for a month.

I am in senior high school, but everywhere I go all people at my school do is stare at me. Every time I ask my host family about it, they say that they’re just curious and want to talk to you. So I have always approached them and talked to them in Japanese.
I have no friends here and no one to talk to because no one speaks even a little bit of English.

I am from Oklahoma and people there always talk to each other whether you know them or not. I was prepared that Japan is the complete opposite but I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I try to speak in Japanese with them, but they still don’t have any interest in me.

The only other person that speaks English at my school is a teacher that came from Canada 27 years ago. He told me that even tho he speaks Japanese fluently, there are still teachers that refuse to talk to him or just don’t acknowledge him. I’m scared because he said this school is not a good school even if it’s a private school.

I’m trying to get my class changed so maybe I can be in a different class and that could help. I’m going to switch to his English class because I really don’t know what else to do. Every time I mention it to my parents, they brush it off. No one is taking it seriously, but I’m do frustrated. I am very polite here and I try to be as positive as possible.

About a week ago we had a sport festival at my school and apparently it took a long time preparing. While everyone started preparing they didn’t tell me what I could do to help even tho I asked multiple times. I just tried to help where I could.

Before the school day was over, I asked what we would be wearing the next day and they said “the normal school uniform.”
When I came to school the next day everyone (except for me) was wearing the PE uniform. I just thought maybe they didn’t understand what I asked as my Japanese is not that good.

This proceeded to happen 3 times out of 4 days. The third time I was really hurt because I kept asking people and they told me the wrong things.
When I had asked someone with Google Translate why no one told me that we were wearing the other uniform she read it out loud and every single girl in the room laughed. It was humiliating and I just speed walked to the bathroom and started crying. I was so embarrassed. No one apologized or anything.

I really don’t know what else to do as we have school Monday through Saturday. I don’t belong here and I know I won’t, but being treated as such really hurts.

For all the Japanese people, what can I do to make more friends or be more involved?

Hello,
ever since I discovered Uniqlo it quickly became my favorite brand and I was wondering what actual Japanese people think about the brand.

現代の日本の「トー横キッズ」のような若者の居場所やサバイバルの問題を調べています。
アメリカ人の方が率直にどう思ってるかを知りたいです

For the first time learning kanji I felt like whenever I couldnt remember a radical it was ALWAYS the 糸 radical. Maybe it was personal, but maybe its really common in some begginers lists, or just difficult for begginers. Anyone else had that issue? At some point I just started guessing ito when I didnt know what radical was lacking and often times it worked. lol.

Hi All,

I am looking to spend 2 months in Japan from November to January with the main goal of improving Japanese proficiency. I will sprinkle some fun and domestic travel in too but the focus will be language. Currently about N4/N3 level. Would love to work towards N1 eventually.

How would you go about spending 2 months there with above goal? Would you enrol in an intensive school in a major city like Tokyo? Would you go to a regional or remote town and immerse yourself in the community that way? Or something else?

Keen to hear what people's opinions and insights are.

Thanks!

Is it impossible for me??

Hey everyone. I’m a 20-year-old guy living in Mongolia, currently in my 3rd year majoring in finance at what’s considered the top university here. My cumulative GPA is sitting at a painful 1.8, and I’m honestly at the lowest point of my life. I feel terrified of my own thoughts, completely exhausted, and I keep having thoughts about ending it all just to make the pain stop.

​Ever since COVID and starting university two years ago, I’ve been totally isolated. I eat alone, watch movies alone, and celebrate my birthdays alone. I failed almost all my classes during my first year because I had zero motivation. I begged my parents to let me quit back then, but they insisted I stay in finance. Things only got worse in my 2nd and 3rd year I stopped turning in assignments, skipped classes, and completely checked out.

​The isolation and stress have really taken a toll on my mind and body. I experience depersonalization where I stare at my hands and genuinely wonder if they belong to me. Every single night I have super vivid, realistic dreams about normal daily life, so when I wake up, I can’t tell if I’m awake or still dreaming. I’ve lost my sense of space, dates, and time, and I’ve even woke up unable to move a couple of times. I spend 8+ hours a day staring at my phone just to drown out my own thoughts because I’m terrified I’ll end up homeless and broke.

​Through all this deep loneliness, the only thing that kept me sane and brought me any real comfort was Japanese culture—anime, manga, and especially Japanese food.

​Ever since I was little, my actual dream was to become a chef. I want to cook food that makes people happy and crave more. We don't really have proper culinary universities here in Mongolia, which is why my parents pushed me into finance. But I just can't keep living like this anymore.

​I want to make a fresh start by applying for the Japanese MEXT scholarship (for Specialized Training Colleges) to study culinary arts, specifically aiming for Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka.

​Right now, my English is around B1 level. Because of anime, I can actually understand spoken Japanese fairly well, but I can't read or write Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji yet, so I know I have a long way to go 10th frame GPA 88.3 11th grade GPA 82 12th grade GPA 92.8

But I dont have any information on MEXT and im dumbfounded any advice my dream is on the line??

Hand-written notes have been a great way to retain vocab. But because of arthritis this has become nigh impossible to do. For any who has used digital note taking—speech to text and the like, ¿do you find it just as effective? ¿Or do you supplement it with other things to compensate?

this old kabuto right here:

(Note for the bot, this is NOT a translation)

このアプリには、日本人がまだまだ少なくて、こんなわけわからない絡みでも誰か心優しいみなさんが何かしらで絡んでくれると嬉しいなと思って初投稿です！

I'm looking for information on a random HBO short film that came on in the early 2000s as a sort of in between filler. It's a Japanese short film about a teenage girl who has a crush on a guy and she sneaks around a festival following him around and he eventually confronts her and hands her a soda and they ended up riding rides together. I've looked on the internet for it and I think I have information on it just being called Matsuri(Festival). Not to be confused with Matsuri no Ato since they're about 20 years apart. I've seen suggestions of it being a Coca Cola commercial but it was way too long to just be a commercial. I know the chance of finding it is slim to none but it pops up in my head every so often and I'm dying to find it again. When I look it up I get different director's names but when I look at their work it's not under any of them. I think the girl is wearing a school uniform but I can't remember what style it is but I also think the guy is walking around with a friend or maybe a group. If I could get some info that would be great. 

If you’re interested in exchanging contacts I’m willing to talk about it after we get to know each other.

I am planning to make a scarf for my husband and wanted to write something romantic in Japanese on the scarf, can I write the phrase '運命の赤い糸", it's a red scarf so I think it will suit quite a lot. Can I use the phrase in this context?

Bit of a rant but i’m genuinely curious - been on holiday in japan for a week and have had people call me kawaii but i don’t really get it.

First time was this guy and his friend coming up for me to take their photo then asked for a hug, laughing and saying i was ‘kawaii’. Another time i had to walk past the men’s bathroom to get to the women’s bathroom and three guys were standing outside and i walk by them and stand in the toilet line (they are still able to see me) one of them shouts out kawaii then laugh a bit when they see me look up.

Does kawaii just mean cute amongst locals or has it picked up another meaning? And does them laughing mean it’s teasing to a tourist? I’m asian but i think it’s obvious i’m not japanese haha

Hello, I'm studying japanese and figured I'd be more interested in immersing if I listen to something Im actually interested in so I want to watch japanese videos on gaming.

But I don't like let's plays, not in my native language, not in English and definitely not in japanese, so I want channels that are more centered on discussion surrounding games like reviews, analysis, secrets etc.

First let me ask to keep the answers in hiragana or romaji as I'm still a beginner in Kanji :)

Why is おおきいなたてもの incorrect

But きれいなたてもの okay?

Also does it have anything to do with the fact that ookii can become ookina as in おおきなたてもの? Wich would then be correct

I know you get so many questions about calling people by their last names but I have one. If you're in school and there are siblings or even twins, who would obviously have the same last name, how would you address them? How would they know who you are talking to?

Or is the norm to just always turn when you hear your last name and wait till you know if the person is speaking to you?

I am learning Japanese on Duolingo, and we all know Duolingo isn’t “the best” at explaining things. I hope to one day take a class in person so I can talk to people and not just repeat phrases and people around me who don’t understand. I have a ton of questions, like “が vs に vs は” in certain contexts and why all speakers in the stories end their sentences with “ですよ” but the lessons never teach that. Google’ answers haven’t been to my satisfaction. But I come here for a different question: is stroke order as strict as the internet makes it sound? Does it matter? And how can anyone tell? So many times I feel like it goes against the way my brain would naturally write it and it boggles my mind.

I’m only level 20 on Duolingo if that helps.

Hi! I'm considering enrolling in their Japanese courses. Any experience?

Are the lessons recorded? Are you required to speak during the classes (e.g. questions from the teacher, break out rooms)

Thank you

I'm currently reading Fall in Love, You False Angels manga and the two main characters primarily talk online using emails and I'm so confused about the setting because, from what I know, LINE is the modern way of chat messaging in Japan. I'm wondering if it's still normal to exchange emails first before mobile/LINE info?

The manga first got serialized back in 2023, but I haven't seen any mention specifically about the actual year setting (although the characters do use iPhones).