Japanese City Urges Residents Not to Rearrange Paramedics' Shoes

It is polite to reposition a guest's shoes when they arrive, but the emergency services in one city advise just skipping that part. Etiquette, manners and consideration for others are integral pillars of Japanese society, but there are times when they might go a step too far, according to one city's emergency services. The fire department in the central city of Kanazawa has urged people not to tidy up the shoes that paramedic crews have taken off when entering a house, warning it could hinder their ability to get in or out quickly, particularly when carrying someone on a stretcher.

In an Instagram video that has amassed more than half a million views since it was posted on 5 August, the firefighters demonstrate how paramedics leave their shoes positioned at entrances in precise spots so that three stretcher bearers can step straight into them without shaking the patient around, or risking dislodging their oxygen mask. It is customary for anyone entering a Japanese home to shed their footwear, and for homeowners to rearrange the shoes of guests or customers to face the doorway so that they can slip them on easily when they leave.