This is something that never made sense to me. Hotels are some of the most dirty places you can find (especially by japanese logic). Thousands of people come and go every year, many of which come from countries where wearing shoes inside the hotel room is totally normal. Yet I have never seen any hotels except for ryokans that try to enforce a no-shoe policy in the room or have genkan in front of the door.
I have been on a few business trips where me and another coworker have shared a room. I have been puzzled by their logic. They will have no issues walking around in socks around the area where they keep their shoes. Some wear slippers but will still walk around on the dirty floor barefoot after shower. I am 100% certain none of them would walk around barefoot on their genkan at home.
There seems to be a weird unspoken rule about hotel floors that I do not understand.
by Scandidi