Genkan (げんかん、玄関) The entrance to any building but especially homes where a person removes one's shoes and generally steps up onto the floor of the home. While all Japanese businesses have a genkan of one sort or another, not all of them require you remove your shoes. You easily be able to tell whether you should remove your shoes or not by watching others and by the appearance of the genkan.

Geta (げた、下駄) 　Geta are traditional wooden shoes that come in various styles and shapes some of which have only a single vertical piece on the bottom that may extend for as much or more than 20 centimeters and require some balancing expertise on the part of the person wearing them. The most likely time that you will see them in use in during the summer at local firework events when many dress up in the Japanese summer style Yukata.

Tatami (たたみ、畳) Tatami mats are made from special reeds and have a wonderful aroma for the first year or so after being installed. Traditionally Japanese rooms are measured in the number of tatami there were in the room. One standard tatami mat measures .505 square yards (.604 square meters) The length and width are .955m by 1.91m depending on the area of Japan in which you live.