Getabako

A getabako in the bath house of Kobe, Japan
Getabako at an elementary school

A getabako (下駄箱) is a shoe cupboard in Japan, usually situated in the genkan, an entryway or porch of the house. This is often called a cubby in the United States. In Japan, it is considered uncouth to not remove one's shoes before entering the house.[1][2] Near the getabako is a slipper rack,[3] and most people in Japan wear slippers around the house, except for rooms which have tatami flooring, as they are bad for the floor. The getabako is usually made of wood and bamboo, and there are many sold all over the world.

The word "getabako" is from geta (下駄, Japanese wooden clog) and hako (箱, "box").[4]

Usually there are big getabako in schools, and each student has their own section. Sometimes, students store personal things there as well, or use them to leave love letters.[1][5][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Removing Shoes, Japanese Culture and Daily Life, The Japan Forum. Originally, The Japan Forum Newsletter no. 8 "A Day in the Life", June 1997.
  2. ^ Klassen, Corey (28 February 2011). "Getabako: Let's get some shoes". Archived from the original on 19 September 2015.
  3. ^ Lebra, Takie Sugiyama, ed. (1992). Japanese social organization. University of Hawaii Press. p. 117. ISBN 0-8248-1386-3.
  4. ^ Ito, Junko; Mester, Armin (2003). "Appendix". Japanese Morphophonemics: Markedness and Word Structure. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-262-59023-5. Undergoer: hako, Compound: geta-bako, Gloss: clog-box, shoe rack, chest for footwear
  5. ^ Saladin (10 November 2012). "A Glimpse of Japanese School's Life – Part 2". Japanesense.
  6. ^ Shoji, Kaori (16 August 2002). "You've got mail: the romance of the shoe box". Bilingual (column). The Japan Times. Retrieved 25 September 2019.


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