Genkan
Template:Short description Template:DMCA
Script error: No such module "Nihongo". are traditional Japanese entryway areas for a house, apartment, or building, a combination of a porch and a doormat.[1] It is usually located inside the building directly in front of the door. The primary function of Script error: No such module "lang". is for the removal of shoes before entering the main part of the house or building.
A secondary function is a place for brief visits without being invited across the Script error: No such module "lang". step into the house proper.[2]Template:R/superscript For example, where a pizza delivery driver in an English-speaking country would normally stand on the porch and conduct business through the open front door, in Japan a food delivery would traditionally have taken place across the Script error: No such module "lang". step.[3]
After removing shoes, one must avoid stepping on the tiled or concrete Script error: No such module "Nihongo". in socks or with bare feet, to avoid bringing dirt into the house.[2] Once inside, generally one will change into Script error: No such module "Nihongo".: slippers or shoes intended for indoor wear.
Script error: No such module "lang". are also occasionally found in other buildings in Japan, especially in old-fashioned businesses.
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Script error: No such module "lang". of a residence in Japan, viewed from outside looking in -
The same Script error: No such module "lang"., viewed from inside looking out. The doors on the left wall are Script error: No such module "lang".. -
A genkan without getabako
Design
Script error: No such module "lang". are normally recessed into the floor, to contain any dirt that is tracked in from the outside (as in a mud room). The height of the step varies from very low (5–10 centimetres (2.0–3.9 in)) to shin-level or knee-level. Script error: No such module "lang". in apartments are usually much smaller than those in houses, and may have no difference in elevation with the rest of the floor; it may simply have a different type of flooring material than the rest of the floor to distinguish it as the Script error: No such module "lang"..
Schools and Script error: No such module "Nihongo". have large Script error: No such module "Nihongo". with compartments for each person's outdoor shoes. In private residences, Script error: No such module "lang". may be absent, and shoes are usually turned to face the door so they can be slipped on easily when leaving.
History
The custom of removing one's shoes before entering the house is believed to go back over one thousand years to the pre-historical era of elevated-floor structures. It has continued to the present, even after the Westernization of the Japanese home, which began in the Meiji period (1868–1912).[4]
See also
- Engawa (traditional Japanese veranda)
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."What Is This? Genkan". Archived from the original on 11 February 2026. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Chavez, Amy (5 October 2002). "Rules of the 'genkan': First, wear shoes". Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nyan, Evie (12 May 2016). "Almost half of Japanese people hide when their doorbell rings—here's why". rocketnews24.
In rural areas especially, the 'genkan' or inside entranceway to a house was considered open to the public, and often neighbours and salespeople alike would blithely enter this space and call out to the residents within.
- ^ Genkan (entrance), Mini Encyclopedia.
External links
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- What is this? Script error: No such module "lang".. A comprehensive explanation about the Script error: No such module "lang". in Japan.
- Script error: No such module "lang".
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