Genkan
Genkan (
A secondary function is a place for brief visits without being invited across the genkan step into the house proper.[2] 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 genkan step.[3]
After removing shoes, one must avoid stepping on the tiled or concrete genkan floor (
Genkan are also occasionally found in other buildings in Japan, especially in old-fashioned businesses.
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Genkan of a residence in Japan, viewed from outside looking in
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The same genkan, viewed from inside looking out. The doors on the left wall are getabako.
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A genkan without getabako
Design
[edit]Genkan 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 (5–10 centimetres (2.0–3.9 in)) to shin-level or knee-level. Genkan 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 genkan.
Schools and public baths (
History
[edit]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
[edit]- Engawa (traditional Japanese veranda)
References
[edit]- ^ "What Is This? Genkan". Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ a b Chavez, Amy (5 October 2002). "Rules of the 'genkan': First, wear shoes". Retrieved 1 August 2014.
- ^ Nyan, Evie (12 May 2016). "Almost half of Japanese people hide when their doorbell rings—here's why". rocketnews24.
In rural areas especially, the 'genkan' or inside entranceway to a house was considered open to the public, and often neighbours and salespeople alike would blithely enter this space and call out to the residents within.
- ^ Genkan (entrance), Mini Encyclopedia.
External links
[edit]- What is this? Genkan. A comprehensive explanation about the genkan in Japan.
- GENKAN