I moved your post, there are 100's of subject areas, you will want to pick one to ask your question in, the INTRODUCTION area is just to introduct yourself.

I moved your post here ( be honest was not sure where to move it, )


1. Ignore they note and keep doing what you are doing

2. Leave them a note and explain that this is your custom and practice as wearing shoes in the house in your culture is not considered proper.
And tell them that you appreciate their opinion but know they will understand that you have your traditions that you will be following.

And personally you are in for a lot of fun I can tell, any neighbor with that much stupdity to do this, is going to be problems all the time,

I hope you did not buy this house, since this neighbor is going to be a real pain.

Do you set your shoes out in the public hallway?

Do stop all the note passing back and forth just put your shoes INSIDE your own door inside your own apartment. Put the shoes on a mat and that will keep the dirt off your carpets. Not everyone likes to see shoes in the hallway of a place where they live.

Consider yourself lucky that one of your neighbors didn't just pitch them in the dumpster so you could get the message and stop leaving them outside your door. They were considerate enough to leave you a note instead.

I would buy a decorative box with lid, wicker basket with lid or even a storage bench if there is enough room. Hang a matching wreath on the door and tie the look in together maybe that will not be an eye sore for the neighbor.
If your container is large enough maybe you could store more than 1 pair.

Want to bet the neighbor will gripe about the box if they didn't like the shoes? Someone just might decide they like the box and walk off with it for their own apartment!

I do not know why anyone would find this offensive -- tradition in Japan

I guess it depends how much you want to get along with the neighbors

You could hide shoes in bag and take in your house or somewhere else

Granted I don't wear shoes inside my home either...but we have a shoe rack we keep inside the house that we put our shoes on. Do you live in a house or apartment?

Knowing whether or not the OP lives in a house or an apartment is key here.

If it's a home, then the OP has the right to practice any customs he/she wishes, so long as there isn't a homeowner's association that she/he belongs to that forbids it.

If it's an apartment---I can understand the neighbor's plight. ESPECIALLY if "outside the front door" is in a public hallway. That makes for a tripping and/or fire hazard as well as being unsightly to see in a public hallway.

If it's an apartment or condo or townhouse, I would get a small rug and keep your shoes on it just inside your door. If you have a garage where you reside, perhaps you could come in that way and leave the shoes in the garage.

While many customs do not permit shoes indoors, some accomodation is called for in the US, where leaving your shoes in the shared corridor is not acceptable.

If it is your house, and you own the space in front of your door and the yard surrounding it, you have an annoying neighbor and I would ignore them.

If it makes you feel any better, when I was in Thailand as an American, I was very uncomfortable going into the religious temples barefoot. In my Catholic church, showing up barefoot would be seen very differently...it would be totally unacceptable not to have shoes on!

We all have to make little adjustments, and where your shoes are when not on your feet is a small matter. I would move them indoors rather than ruining relationships with annoyed neighbors (I wouldn't like how it looked, either).