Do this now
Follow these steps in order.
- 01
Pause at the entrance and look for a raised floor, shoe lockers, slippers, a sign or staff direction.
- 02
Keep outdoor shoes and the lower entrance zone separate from the raised clean floor.
- 03
Use indoor slippers only in the areas the ryokan designates.
- 04
Remove both outdoor shoes and indoor slippers before stepping on tatami.
- 05
Change into restroom slippers at the restroom door and leave them there when you exit.
- 06
Carry luggage over tatami or ask staff where to place it; do not drag suitcase wheels across the mats.
- 07
Arrange an accessible entrance route and mobility-aid procedure with the ryokan before arrival when needed.
What to know
The shoe boundary is set by the property
JNTO describes removing shoes indoors as a standard ryokan custom, but ryokan range from historic wooden inns to modern resort buildings. The change point may be at the main entrance, after reception, at the elevator floor or inside each guest room.
Use the evidence in front of you: a raised wooden floor, a row of indoor slippers, shoe lockers, a shoe-removal sign or a staff gesture. If those signals do not agree, stop before crossing and ask rather than copying another guest who may be going to a different area.
What to know
How to cross a traditional genkan
The lower tile, stone or concrete area inside the door is the genkan’s footwear zone. Visit Kinosaki’s official ryokan guide says to remove shoes before stepping up when you see a raised floor.
Stand in the lower zone while your shoes are on, then step out of each shoe directly onto the raised clean floor. Do not place a socked or bare foot back onto the lower zone. Once stable, turn the shoes so the toes face the door when the ryokan leaves them there, or place them in the indicated locker and let staff handle them when offered.
What to know
Modern ryokan may use a later change point
A lobby that visually resembles a hotel may allow outdoor shoes through reception and the corridors. A room may then have its own small entry area where shoes are removed before the tatami or living space.
Do not take shoes off automatically on a public doormat where there is no clean raised floor or storage. Ask “Where should I take off my shoes?” and follow the property’s system; the purpose is to respect its clean and outdoor zones, not to perform one universal entrance ritual.
What to know
Use indoor slippers only in permitted areas
When the ryokan provides indoor slippers, put them on after crossing to the clean side. They are commonly used on wooden or carpeted corridors, lobbies and other non-tatami indoor floors.
Do not wear indoor slippers outdoors unless staff explicitly says they are outdoor footwear. A ryokan in an onsen town may separately provide geta or zori for walking outside; these are not the same as corridor slippers.
What to know
Nothing worn on the floor goes onto tatami
Visit Kinosaki states that slippers must be removed wherever there is tatami and that only bare feet, socks or stockings belong on the mats. The same rule applies in a guest room, tatami dining room, sitting area or another traditional space.
At a mixed Japanese-Western room, change at the visible boundary between hard flooring and the tatami platform. Leave slippers neatly beside that edge without blocking the doorway or placing them on the mat.
What to know
Restroom slippers stay in the restroom
Many ryokan place a separate pair of slippers just inside a toilet. Step out of the corridor slippers, use the restroom pair, then change back at the threshold.
Do not walk into the corridor, guest room or tatami area wearing toilet slippers. If you notice the mistake later, return them promptly and tell staff if cleaning may be needed rather than quietly leaving them elsewhere.
What to know
Bath and dining areas can add another boundary
A communal bath may have a slipper shelf before the changing-room floor, and a tatami dining room may have a slipper line at its entrance. Follow the sign for that particular space even when you are already wearing ryokan slippers.
Do not bring corridor or toilet slippers into a wet bathing zone. At a restaurant with chairs and hard flooring, keep the permitted indoor slippers on unless staff directs otherwise.
What to know
Keep suitcase wheels off tatami
Tatami can be marked or damaged by hard, dirty wheels. Visit Kinosaki explicitly tells guests not to drag a suitcase across tatami and to carry it instead.
Use a luggage stand, closet, hard-floor entry space or location shown by staff. If the case is too heavy to lift safely, do not risk an injury—ask staff to move it or show you a route and storage place that avoid the mats.
What to know
Ask for an accessible route before arrival
The Japan Tourism Agency notes that traditional ryokan architecture can include a lobby step that creates an accessibility problem, while some properties provide ramps, elevators, handrails and other universal-design features.
A wheelchair, prosthesis, cane or other required mobility aid is not ordinary outdoor footwear. Do not remove or alter an aid unsafely. Tell the ryokan your needs before booking or arrival and ask how it handles the entrance, wheel cleaning or covers, tatami access, the guest room, bath and dining route.
What to know
Keep socks clean and the sequence simple
Clean, dry socks make repeated changes more comfortable, especially in cold weather. Shoes that can be removed without a long balancing routine are useful, but never rush at the edge of a step.
Sit where a bench is provided or ask for help if balance is difficult. Do not use a decorative ledge, luggage or another guest for support.
What to know
Ask one clear question when uncertain
“Kutsu wa doko de nugimasu ka?” means “Where should I take off my shoes?” “Surippa wa tatami no mae de nugimasu ka?” asks whether to remove slippers before the tatami.
You can also point to your shoes or mobility aid and say “Koko de ii desu ka?”—“Is here okay?” Staff expect first-time visitors to need guidance, and JNTO advises asking whenever a ryokan custom is unclear.
If that does not work
Use the fallback.
- If no boundary is visible, remain on the current floor and ask staff before taking off your shoes.
- If you crossed in outdoor shoes by mistake, step back and tell staff rather than continuing farther inside.
- If slippers are too small or unstable, ask whether socks or another size are acceptable.
- If you wore restroom slippers out by mistake, return them and notify staff if needed.
- If a suitcase is too heavy to carry over tatami, ask staff for help or a hard-floor storage point.
- If you use a mobility aid, arrange the safe route in advance and follow the property’s cleaning or covering procedure.
Before you need it
Save this offline.
- Follow the ryokan’s actual boundary, sign and staff direction
- Lower genkan is for outdoor shoes; raised floor is the clean side
- Indoor slippers never go on tatami
- Restroom slippers stay inside the restroom
- Carry luggage over tatami and arrange mobility access in advance
Primary evidence
Official sources used
Open these pages again before travel. External links lead to the responsible Japanese authority or transport organization.