All shoes worn outside are taken off in the genkan and you are provided your own guest slippers to be worn inside the house. You do not wear these slippers in a tatami room and you remove them at the entrance to the tatami room, even if you have bare feet. Also, you do not wear these slippers in the room for the toilet. There are special slippers designated for use while in the toilet room. This is also a signal to someone else that the toilet is occupied.
Many Japanese homes have at least one room that contains tatami mats.
Each mat is about three feet by six feet and about two inches thick and covered with tightly woven rice-straw. The mats do not move once laid and the size of a room is even referred to by the number of mats. These days, the tatami rooms are used for sleeping at night or for a traditional ceremony. During the day, the bedding such as futons , pillows, covers, etc. are stored a deep cupboard in the room. Tatami rooms do not have doors, but rather screen doors that slide like some of our closet doors do on tracks.