Family and Early Socialization: Uchi and Soto

Picture from June 17, 2020. Location: my genkan

Ever since I was young, I was taught to take off my shoes at the door (genkan or entryway) and enter our home. Inside, we wear slippers; these are specifically for guests. I knew what was for outside wear and inside wear. This happened within my family, and as I ventured out into the world, this feeling of uchi and soto was emphasized more and more as it expanded past taking off and putting on shoes. This simple custom holds many integral values within it. Inside is clean; outside is not clean. At home, one acts one way, and outside, one acts a different way. 

These values have been passed on to me and many other Japanese children since their early years, whether it be through familial interactions or early socialization outside at preschools. This balance of outside and inside, clean and not clean, and home and not home all reflect the duality that exists in Japanese society. Divisions are important, as shown clearly by the way one must step up to enter our home. Even the slippers show the division: there are indoor "shoes" (slippers) and outdoor shoes. This unique cultural concept is engrained in the Japanese mind; not wearing shoes in the house is a simple idea, but it is only one part of a larger, more important aspect of Japanese society. As touched upon by the reading on early socialization, children have uchi and soto with people as well, and this is done almost subconsciously through socialization and growing up. 

As is with many other customs in Japan, there is much more to it than just the appearance. Something as simple as a genkan can have so many values behind it, one of which being uchi versus soto and their symbolic meanings. I was never aware of the ideas behind such customs, and now it is certainly much clearer how Japanese culture is pervasive in our values and ideas. Not only does this mean Japan as a society can collectively and harmoniously hold these similar values, but it also points toward the importance of seemingly small traditions or customs.

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