Lesson 69 Take off shoes
Topic Question: Why do people take off their shoes inside the house in Japan?
▮ Try Answering the Question Yourself
Think about the reasons behind this Japanese custom. Consider its implications for cleanliness, tradition, and respect for the home.
▮ Sample Answer
“In Japan, people take off their shoes before entering a house as a sign of respect and to maintain cleanliness. This custom is deeply rooted in the tradition of preserving the purity of the indoor living space, preventing dirt and germs from outside from contaminating the home.”
▮ Words to Learn and Their Meanings about Sample Answer
- Custom (習慣): A traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something that is specific to a particular society, place, or time.
- Cleanliness (清潔さ): The state or quality of being clean and free from dirt.
- Tradition (伝統): The transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation.
- Purity (純潔): The condition or quality of being pure; freedom from contaminants.
- Contaminate (汚染する): To make something impure or unsuitable by contact or mixture with something unclean, bad, etc.
▮ Answer the Instructor’s 3 Questions Based on the Sample Answer
- What is the main reason people in Japan take off their shoes before entering a house?
- How does this custom affect the cleanliness of the home?
- What does this tradition signify in terms of respect?
▮ Mastering Middle School English Grammar
a person who… a thing that/which…
Who is for people (not things):
A thief is a person who steals things.
Do you know anybody who can play the piano?
The people who work in the office are very friendly
That is for things or people.
An airplane is a machine that flies.
Emma lives in a house that is 100 years old.
The people that work in the office are very friendly.
You can use that for people, but who is more common
Which is for things (not/ people):
An airplane is a machine which flies. (not a machine who…?)
Emma lives in a house which is 100 years old.
Do not use which for people
●Do you remember the woman who played the piano at the parry’
(not the woman which . ..)
3 Example Sentences Based on the Sample Answer and Grammar Practice:
- A tatami is a type of flooring that requires you to remove your shoes to prevent damage.
- The person who cleans the house appreciates this custom greatly.
- Shoe cabinets, which are found in the genkan, store shoes neatly away from the living spaces.
Make Sentences Based on the Above Example Sentences Yourself:
