Many Asian countries typically follow the tradition of removing shoes before entering a house. In India, Afghanistan and other countries where having carpeted rugs are common, it is considered necessary to take one's shoes off in order to walk on carpeted rugs inside the home.
In most of Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, shoes are never worn inside homes, and it can be seen as a sign of disrespect for guests to enter a host's home without leaving them at the door.
Showing Respect
In addition to the practical reasons, taking off your shoes is also seen as a sign of respect when entering someone's home or place of business. Traditionally, it could be seen as disrespectful to keep your shoes on in someone's residence.
In Australia, many homes have a shoes off policy, but many do not. It is viewed simply as a matter of preference. In many cultures (see map below) it is considered rude and unhygienic to wear outdoor shoes indoors. Here in Australia, the majority opt for the convenience of keeping shoes on, especially as guests.
Japanese have developed the custom of eating meals sitting on tatami mats, not on chairs. They also roll out the futon on which they sleep on the tatami floor. Therefore, they take their shoes off when entering the house to avoid getting the floor dirty.
Many Asian countries typically follow the tradition of removing shoes before entering a house. In India, Afghanistan and other countries where having carpeted rugs are common, it is considered necessary to take one's shoes off in order to walk on carpeted rugs inside the home.
It is estimated that sometime during the 20th century, Chinese families resumed the practice of removing their shoes, which has continued to date. Besides for personal hygiene, Chinese households often take off their shoes to also help protect wood floors and carpets especially.
Australia. It is common for Australians, particularly young people, to be barefoot in public places, especially during summer. Barefoot walking, known as "earthing", has been used by the Australian cricket team to "capture positive energy coming out of the earth."
As it turns out, going barefoot is a part of everyday life if you live “Down Under”, and the Aussies just might be onto something that we all can learn from. Australians are notorious for loving the barefoot lifestyle—and we're not just talking about at the beach!
"It is not illegal to drive barefoot or while wearing thongs, but there may be safety issues," an ACT Policing spokesperson told Drive. "Just because something isn't expressly illegal, it doesn't mean it's a good idea.
Take off your shoes
It is a good rule of etiquette in most homes in Korea to take off your shoes before entering. You don't wear shoes in the house, because it's not hygienic after walking down the street, and Koreans, like many other Asian people, sleep, study, eat, and spend most of their time on the floor.
Although removing shoes before entering a home seems more a cultural rather than a religious tradition, it is important to know that some religions require removing shoes before entering a house of worship or a temple: muslims remove their shoes before entering a mosque, Hindus remove their shoes before entering a ...
This was born in the early days of plantation workers who came to Hawaii from Japan, bringing their tradition of removing their shoes as they enter a household which became a tradition here, some add because of the red soil of the fields that were otherwise tracked in through the house with shoes left on.
In other words, it's perfectly acceptable to ask guests to remove their shoes.” But here's the catch—if you ask a guest to take off their shoes, you should let them know beforehand or offer them a pair of house shoes to wear.
While footwear was lacking among most indigenous Australians, at least five different forms of indigenous footwear or foot protection have been recorded. A revised distribution of Aboriginal footwear is presented here.
Indigenous people seldom ever wore shoes to protect their feet. Most tribes were reported to go unshod but some from the Northern Territory of Australia and adjoining desert country did wear a primitive sandal to protect their feet from the scorching ground temperatures in summer.
Barefoot walking has been shown to help increase antioxidants, reduce inflammation and improve sleep.
Thongs are synonymous with Australian culture; we're one of the only countries in the world that refer to them as that and wear them as often as we do, but are they bad for your feet? Rain, hail or shine, someone will be seen wearing a pair of thongs.
According to those studies, walking barefoot can lower toxic stress, regulate stress responses, and boost immunity. In fact, when you walk around barefoot, you are actually decreasing the risk of heart disease.
Protecting the cleanliness of interior floors is a legacy from times – not that long ago – when roads and footpaths were filthy. Chinese superstitions enforce the rule: wearing outdoor shoes inside is believed to introduce “bad luck”, a metaphor for germs, into the home.
No Australian states and territories have outlawed driving barefoot or wearing inappropriate footwear while driving, however the NSW Road Rules Act 2008 states that the driver must still take all precautions to drive in the safest manner possible.
Like all other animals, humans evolved to walk without shoes. Then, as our ancestors strode across the savannas in search of food and shelter, they eventually figured out how to protect their feet from extreme temperatures and sharp objects: wrap them in animal hides.
There's a very pragmatic reason alluded to in the other answers as well. Hawaii has very iron-rich red soil. It makes a mess if you walk into a house with that on your shoes. Even if you clean them off well, you're still tracking it into the house.
Convenience: Wearing shoes inside the house can be convenient for quick transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces. It saves time and effort by not having to remove and put on shoes repeatedly.
The Mandarin word for shoes (鞋 xié) is a homophone for 邪 (xié), or “evil,” so giving someone a pair of shoes is thought to be bad luck. While fruit baskets are often a safe gift, make sure you take out the pears before you give one to a family member, a sick person, or a romantic partner.