Have you ever come across a video or image of a Japanese person sleeping in an extremely unimaginable way on a train in Japan? In this article, we will talk about Inemuri, the famous Japanese nap.
The word Inemuri can refer to any nap taken by Japanese people in public places, at work, and especially on trains, which is very common and frequent. I have even had the chance to experience this nap myself.
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The Meaning of Inemuri
Inemuri "[居眠り] is a Japanese word that literally means sleeping while present. It can be translated as sleeping awake, taking a nap, sleeping sitting, or taking a snooze."
Inemuri refers primarily to the act of sleeping during an activity. This word involves closing your eyes while still paying attention to your surroundings, whether at work, in class, meetings, events or trains. Not that this is always the case.
Inemuri is a light nap, the simple act of closing your eyes, sleeping while sitting or standing. It mainly refers to polyphasic sleep, short naps of 20 minutes that when applied several hours equal a good sleep.
Some words can be derived from Inemuri such as the word dozing off while driving which in Japanese is said inemuriunten [居眠り運転]. The word can also be a verb inemuru [居眠る] which means to doze off and to postpone.
Japanese sleeping in public places
Being seen sleeping in public is not a problem in Japan, the practice has been common for thousands of years. People sleep anywhere from trains, shops, restaurants, cafes and even on benches and sidewalks.
In some cases, it is not a quick nap. Most cases of Japanese people lying down sleeping on the street are about drunk people or those who missed the last train. In the worst cases, it could be a morador de rua.
Still, the Japanese just don't mind sleeping in any public place. Other Japanese who are present at the place simply don't bother and just ignore it.
Do you believe that some can sleep even cutting their hair? In some schools it is common to find children sleeping during class, and the most that happens is a pull on the sensei's ear or a nudge.
At school, you don't usually get teased by your classmates, nor do you usually go to the office to get a warning for sleeping. Of course, there are limits to how much and how you nap, snoring is already a big problem.
Japanese sleeping on trains
It is very common to find people sleeping on trains in Japan. Some sleep standing up, others seem to be concentrating with posture, but they are sleeping.
Others go beyond the limit and end up stretching, lying and rolling inside the train, requiring a nudge. Most people practice inemuri on trains at one time or another, I've done it myself.
Train travel is very relaxing and often makes you sleepy. Regardless of whether I slept through the night, I've kind of dozed off on a train. It's like riding a train in Japan is like watching ASMR videos.
The practice of Inemuri has decreased more and more, especially on trains, thanks to the popularization of smartphones. Now young people sleep less and less browsing social networks or playing games.
Still, it is very common to come across hilarious scenes of people sleeping on trains. The video compilation below shows very well how the Japanese sleep on trains and in public places.
Japanese sleeping at work
Some have heard that in Japan it's allowed to sleep at work, is that true? In some jobs, the answer is yes. Some Japanese people even have the audacity to sleep during meetings at work.
Taking a nap during work can be seen as a sign that you are doing your best. It might be that the person is exhausted from working too much or simply stayed out late at a bar.
Unfortunately not everyone can have this privilege of sleeping on the job, only high-ranking people or people in important jobs have this privilege. Others simply sleep in hiding if the job allows it.
Factory workers or subordinates are not allowed to nap on the job, if that happens they may even lose their job. Of course it all depends on your boss, job, position, conditions, working hours, etc.
You can work and see your boss doze off, but you can't do the same. Anyway, practicing inemuri doesn't mean the person is lazy. Just make sure it's not an issue.
What do you think of Inemuri?
We know that for the sake of our health it is necessary to sleep at least 8 hours a day and a maximum of 10. Unfortunately almost 40% of the Japanese population sleep less than 6 hours a day at night.
Not because they are working, but they like to spend the night on the street and in bars, or surf the internet and social networks. The Japanese friends I talk to spend two o'clock in the morning on social media.
Some work too much, which generates mental and physical stress, affecting health. Remembering that we shouldn't generalize, thinking that Japanese people kill themselves with work, I've already talked about this in outro artigo.
The brief periods of sleep of inemuri help relax the mind, focus better, and even rejuvenate and clarify ideas. Maybe this is one of the great reasons for the Japanese intelligence.
In some places the rule is to relax without being seen, the person must be physically present and socially engaged. Unfortunately not everyone can follow the rules.
In general, Inemuri is regarded as a matter of pride in Japanese culture, while it is regarded as shame and awkwardness in other parts of the world. What do you think about this?
If you liked the article, I hope you share it with your friends and leave your comments. Thank you very much and until next time!