Japan Travel Fixes
I can't tell where I'm supposed to take my shoes off in hotels/ryokan
Western-style hotels usually let you keep your shoes on indoors, but if there's a raised step at the entrance, or the property has tatami rooms, that step is where shoes come off.
At a ryokan, you typically remove your shoes in the entryway and move around the building in the slippers provided — but take the slippers off too before stepping onto tatami.
If you're unsure, watching what other guests or staff do, or checking for a shoe rack and slippers by the entrance, is an easy way to tell.