My friend, who had been walking across the temple courtyard with shoes on, stopped in front of the main hall. There were shoes lined up at the bottom of the stairs. "Do we have to take them off here too?" my friend asked me. That's a good question. ## When shoes are placed in front of the main hall If there are shoes set out, take yours off before you go in. It's fine to wear shoes in the temple courtyard and on the paths. But the inside of the main hall is where people sit on the floor and bow, so you take your shoes off to keep the floor clean. It's the same reason you take your shoes off in a Korean home. When you go in, don't step on the threshold; step over it. Since long ago, people have thought of the threshold as the boundary dividing inside from outside. There's a saying that stepping on it makes your good fortune leave, and people also considered it disrespectful to the owner inside. There's also the reason of keeping the old wooden threshold from wearing down. ## When You Come Across a Large Building in the Palace You almost never have to take off your shoes in the palace. Many large buildings like Geunjeongjeon aren't entered; you look at them from in front of the door or the steps. It's to protect the old wooden floors. Even so, it's good to keep the same habit of not stepping on the threshold. If the guide says "Please don't go in," the area inside that line is the building. ## When you're not sure If you see a shoe rack or a line of shoes, take yours off, and if there's a sign, read it first. If there's nothing like that either, watch the other people for a moment. Leave your shoes neatly to one side, and in the autumn foliage season it's more comfortable to wear socks without holes. The days and hours the palace gates are open can change, so check the palace website before you go.