Genkan
Template:Short description Template:Italic title Template:Use dmy dates
Script error: No such module "Nihongo". are traditional Japanese entryway areas for a house, apartment, or building, a combination of a porch and a doormat.[1] 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.[2]
After removing shoes, one must avoid stepping on the tiled or concrete Script error: No such module "Nihongo". in socks or with bare feet, to avoid bringing dirt into the house.[3] Once inside, generally one will change into Script error: No such module "Nihongo".: slippers or shoes intended for indoor wear.
Template:Transliteration are also occasionally found in other buildings in Japan, especially in old-fashioned businesses.
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Template:Transliteration of a residence in Japan, viewed from outside looking in
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The same Template:Transliteration, viewed from inside looking out. The doors on the left wall are Template:Transliteration.
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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 Script error: No such module "Nihongo". have large Script error: No such module "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
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).[4]
See also
- Engawa (traditional Japanese veranda)
References
External links
- What is this? Template:Transliteration. A comprehensive explanation about the Template:Transliteration in Japan.
- Template:Transliteration
Template:Japanese architectural elements Template:Room Template:Authority control
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Genkan (entrance), Mini Encyclopedia.