Genkan

Template:Nihongo are traditional Japanese entryway areas for a house, apartment, or building, a combination of a porch and a doormat.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is usually located inside the building directly in front of the door. The primary function of Template:Transliteration 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 Template:Transliteration step into the house proper.Template:R 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 Template:Transliteration step.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After removing shoes, one must avoid stepping on the tiled or concrete Template:Nihongo in socks or with bare feet, to avoid bringing dirt into the house.<ref name=Chavez>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Once inside, generally one will change into Template:Nihongo: slippers or shoes intended for indoor wear.

Template:Transliteration are also occasionally found in other buildings in Japan, especially in old-fashioned businesses.

• Genkan-M9778.jpg

  Template:Transliteration of a residence in Japan, viewed from outside looking in

• Genkan-M9774.jpg

  The same Template:Transliteration, viewed from inside looking out. The doors on the left wall are Template:Transliteration.

• A genkan in an apartment in Hokkaido.jpg

  A genkan without getabako

Design

Template:Transliteration 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 (Template:Convert) to shin-level or knee-level. Template:Transliteration 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 Template:Transliteration.

Schools and Template:Nihongo have large Template:Nihongo with compartments for each person's outdoor shoes. In private residences, Template:Transliteration may be absent, and shoes are usually turned to face the door so they can be slipped on easily when leaving.

History

File:Genkan Japanese Entryway.jpg

Traditional Template:Transliteration in the early 20th century

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).<ref>Genkan (entrance), Mini Encyclopedia.</ref>

See also

• Engawa (traditional Japanese veranda)

External links

• What is this? Template:Transliteration. A comprehensive explanation about the Template:Transliteration in Japan.
• Template:Transliteration