Trivia Asleep On The Job

[Professora Akira]

The general consensus on inemuri seems to be that, as long you aren’t trespassing, blockading or otherwise disturbing the peace, going to sleep is perfectly acceptable. A good comparison would be an airport. In an airport, people who are tired out from a long night are sprawled out, fast asleep, wherever they can. But the vast majority of people are not. The same is true for inemuri.

What’s Behind Inemuri?​

Many contributing factors come together to create an environment in which inemuri fits in comfortably. One is that the Japanese are simply hardworking people. Unlike Europe and America, working overtime is part of the work culture in Japan, and most office workers pull ten hours or more each day. Suddenly, a quick nap on the bench or on the train home is much more inviting. The second most common situation in which inemuri is present is in the nightlife districts of Shinjuku and Shibuya in the early morning hours. The Japanese rely heavily on their public transit system. After a night of drinking, it’s common to see men sprawled out on steps, public benches or even the floor, sleeping while they wait for the trains to start running again..

You want to sleep in public too? Suit yourself,

Here is the rules of inemuri:​

Don’t borrow the shoulder of the person sitting next to you. When sleeping on the train, use your bag as a pillow or tilt your head vertically so your head is either looking up or down – I’d suggest looking down since showing everyone your sleeping face is kind of embarrassing.

Rest your head on the table, but don’t sleep on the floor under it. Don’t make a bed with multiple chairs. Don’t bring an actual pillow or sleeping bag. Basically, don’t actually fully sleep — remember, inemuri only, no napping.

As mentioned in number 1, but use your bag as a pillow. Not only will it keep you from using someone else as a pillow, it will be harder for you to get robbed. Not that it happens often, but if you’re clutching your bag or your head is on it, you will most likely wake up if someone tries to take it from you.

Don’t snore. Same as when you’re awake, keep quiet in public spaces, especially on crowded trains.

Set your alarm and keep your headphones in. The rules of staying quiet still applies here so don’t set loud alarms to ring in public spaces. Either set your alarm to vibrate, or set it so only you will hear it through your headphones.

Better yet, use a train GPS app to wake you up when you near your station. If you’re sleeping on a train, use a mobile app that vibrates as the train approaches the station you want to get off at. It’s so useful – trust me, I’ve used it on multiple occasion.

Wake your friend up if they need to get off at a certain station, or if their crush/teacher/parent/ walk by. Obviously, that’s what friends are for, right? You could even offer to lend a tired friend a shoulder. Yes, friends can break rule number 1.




excerpt from TheCultureTrip/Gogonihon

 

[Away From Keyboard]

dami din namamatay dahil sa overwork dyan, minsan sa office pa sila natutulog.

 

[Dismal]

Salamat sa trivia tungkol sa napping. May etiquette din pala yan

 

[Burce Wayne]

Matindi overworking dyan at hindi dahil sapilitan kundi as respect dahil ρáíd na ang overtime nila.