The Japanese have been known best for their intense dedication to work. With an early start in the morning and long hours through the night, Japanese work ethics have impressed millions of companies all over the world. However, the Japanese workforce has been repeatedly being challenged by the lack of sleep after clocking in more than 90 hours of work every week. Known as the Inemuri, could the art of urban napping be the solution to this problem?
Inemuri, or the trend of public snoozing, is a practice of being present while sleeping. This inemuri is the act of sleeping while working. Although it is humanly impossible for a sleeping individual to be able to work, the Japanese inemuri is a common practice and is often considered as a means of showing dedication to one's work.
Now it can definitely get confusing. The Guardian reports that Japanese corporate employees are allowed to get a short shut eye, for instance, during a meeting. The individual can sit still, close his eyes as if to listen to the speaker intently. But in truth, that individual is actually asleep.
This, as surprising as it may sound, is encouraged in Japan. They normally consider sleeplessness as a sign of overworking, a quality controversially discussed in many parts of the world. The Japanese are allowed to literally sleep on the job without shame.
The Inemuri does not just happen in the office. A report from BBC explains that the Japanese normally do it while on the commute to and fro work, which is common throughout the world. However, there are also some extreme cases of inemuri for which the individual stops anywhere to get some short shut eye.
Some people drop down on one corner and get some five-minute shut-eye. Others sit on the underground staircase to sleep. There are even some people walking down the street who literally stops and sleeps shortly anywhere. An unusual but locally acceptable trend, the inemuri is the wonderful art of not urban napping.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
