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ONE OF THE FINEST Japanese customs is the shedding of footgear on entering the house. Besides saving wear and tear on the shoes, it gives a person the chance to feel the freedom of the wiggle of his toes. It's relaxing and comfortable - and would be easy on the rugs, if there were rugs in a Japanese room. Instead, the rooms are laid with tatami, thick straw mats. Only bare or stocking-covered feet are supposed to touch the mats, but Japanese sometimes tread them wearing slippers of the mule variety.

Wearing no shoes in the house eliminates the danger of dragging dirt and mud into the rooms. These earthy housecleaning evils remain on the shoes, which remain on the doorstep, which is in a kind of vestibule between the outside and inside sliding doors.

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