When did it become customary taking the shoes off when entering a house in Japan?  According to one of theories, it was during the Nara and Heian period when the tatami mat was first introduced to household. Tatami is made of rice straw, therefore, it was considered as sacred, connecting to the gods. Around the same time, shoes were introduced from the Korean Peninsula and became popular among the aristocrats. It is not difficult to imagine that people hesitated to walk on tatami mats with their shoes on, which may be a blasphemy to the gods. Westerners wear shoes all day long until they sleep. They find it uneasy to take off shoes at an entrance of a house when they visit Japan. It is generally regarded as bad mannerism to take shoes off in front of people in the West. The meaning of taking off shoes varies, and is dependent on the country and the culture.