Get on the Good Foot

My good wife, Kiriko, has introduced me to a phenomenon rarely understood or practiced in the Western world - the Japanese art of being able to take off your shoes without untying them. For years I've watched in envy Japanese people coming home and effortlessly slipping off their shoes at the doorway then, in a simple dance, getting them back on when they leave. What you need to do is not pull the laces too tight, and tie the knot a little loose. I have a freedom I've never experienced before. At airport security a couple of days ago I had my shoes off and in the tray in seconds, and I no longer fall sleep in my shoes - so easy is it to take them on and off. Brilliant. What will they think of next?