Slippers

If you come to my house in VA, you have to take off your shoes at the front door landing before coming into the rest of the house. Why? It's an Asian thing and you'll find the practice common in Japan, Korea and the Philippines (probably other parts of Asia, as well).

In Japan, there is always is always a little landing right inside the front door of homes, where family and visitors leave their shoes and put on slippers. Traditional restaurants, especially those with tatami rooms, ask patrons to remove their shoes and put on slippers (or stay in socks) before entering a tatami room.

In traditional Japanese restaurants and hotels (ryokan), you may also find that a different pair of slippers is worn to use the bathroom.

Finally, when trying on clothes at a Japanese boutique, I was asked to remove my shoes before stepping into the dressing room.

Personally, I find the practice rather civilized. I'm sure it keeps homes and restaurants cleaner; in fact, when my son was born, one of my parents' magazines recommended a "no shoes" policy in the house to keep the floor cleaner (what with the little one crawling around and putting everything in his mouth). I also find that the cat and CJ are less likely to get stepped on as they run around underfoot, and if they do, it's not with a hard shoe or boot.

So, if you ever travel to Japan, be sure to wear nice socks you don't mind showing off. ;-)