[FateHostera]

On the shoe front, laces are fine. Put your shoe on most of the way, with your heel slightly over the back of the shoe; lace it up tightly and tie it. Then it's not too loose to walk in and it's perfect for pulling off easily.

If you're not really going anywhere special (say, dojo, houses, schools), then by and large, the only time you'll have to take your shoes off is when you're leaving/coming back home.

www.hyperdia.com is a great resource for figuring out how to get from Station A to Station B.