It is a time honored custom in Japan to remove one's shoes just after entering a house. The area just inside the entrance of a Japanese home is called a genkan. The genkan is always one-step lower than the main part of the house.

After stepping up into the main part of the house it is a custom to turn your shoes so that they face the outside. In a public building there may be a separate wall near the entrance to denote this area.

After removing your shoes at the genkan it is a custom to put on slippers which are usually in front of the genkan or in the immediate area. The slippers can be worn until you leave. However, they are to be removed before entering any room with tatami mats. Do not walk on the tatami with your slippers on.

The proper footwear for tatami is socks or bare feet. It is not necessary to remove your shoes at public places such as clubs, restaurants and shopping areas. You should remove your shoes in any place of respect such as temples, and meeting areas like the main elysium.

An onsen is a natural, mineral rich hot spring where Japanese go to soak away their aches and pains or just to get away and relax. Bathing at onsen is a centuries old tradition in Japan that shows no sign of abating, in fact, it is probably more popular than ever.

Onsen can be simple open-air pools near rolling rivers, little rickety huts on lonely mountains, gorgeous traditional inns (ryokan) or modern sprawling complexes. Some public onsen are free and others you pay a fee ranging upwards from a few hundred yen.

Onsen have many different chemical compositions (depending on the area) and each onsen has a list of what ailments the water is effective against. Many people swear by the effectiveness of the properties of onsen.

Most onsen now have separate male and female bathing areas, but the more modern style onsen have mixed bathing - some require bathing suits and others not.

Upon entering an onsen you will be given a small towel and a large towel. You then proceed to a locker room area where you put your clothes in a small locker and shower thoroughly before entering the onsen. No soap products are allowed into the onsen itself. The showers are small seated showers with no separations, the stools you sit on are about 20" of the ground.

It is common to go to lounge areas after the baths to socialize, watch TV, eat or drink tea.

Simply, you are. A more exact definition of the word would be an "outsider" or foreigner to Japan. Someone not born in Japan.

Gaijin or Gaikokujin is a Japanese word used to refer to foreigners or people not of Japanese nationality. Although Japanese has separate words that specify race or ethnicity, including hakujin "white person" and toyojin, "Oriental (east ocean) person". Gaijin can refer to people of any race or nationality, including the Japanese themselves if the context is outside of Japan.

Links of Interest:

(Glossary of some Japanese terms) (Japanese Customs) (Japanese Traditions) (Honorific Titles)*