, are a type of Japanese slippers worn indoors at home, school or certain companies and public buildings where street shoes are prohibited.

Traditionally, Japanese people dislike wearing the same shoes indoors that they wear on the street, so they take off their shoes when they enter the genkan

Genkan

are traditional Japanese entryway areas for a house, apartment, or building—something of a combination of a porch and a doormat. The primary function of genkan is for the removal of shoes before entering the main part of the house or building. Genkan are often recessed into the floor, to contain...

or entrance hall and put on footwear designated for indoors use.

At the entrance of every school, from preschool to college

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

, there is an assigned locker

Locker

Locker may refer to:* Locker , various kinds of storage compartment or container* Footlocker , a storage box* In nautical usage, a "locker" may be a storage place that in other environments would not be referred to as a locker, such as cupboards on board ships for keeping stores, anchor lockers,...

for each student to put his or her uwabaki.

South Korea

In South Korea, uwabaki are known as silnaehwa (실내화). They are worn in an identical manner in schools, hospitals, and other institutions, though they are perhaps less common in private homes (bare feet or socks being preferred instead).