Inemuri: Sleeping in Public in Japan

Someone on a packed commuter train can sit with their back straight, bag on their lap, and still be asleep. In Japan that half-sleep has a name: inemuri.

It is not bedtime, and it is not a planned siesta. Eyes close on a train, in a meeting, even in a classroom, and the rest of the car usually pretends not to notice. The catch is the rule hiding inside the habit: you can drift off, as long as you still look like you belong there.

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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 dozing, napping in your seat, or that state of being asleep without fully leaving the room.

Inemuri mainly refers to sleeping during an activity — at work, in class, in a meeting, at an event, or on a train. You close your eyes without losing all attention to what is happening around you. Not that this is always the case.

Woman asleep on a train bench with an umbrella, and a family sprawled across another seat

The inemuri is a light nap, the simple act of closing your eyes, sleeping sitting or standing. It is not the same as hirune [昼寝], a proper daytime nap you actually plan — the kind some children still get at school, or an adult might take at home on a weekend. Inemuri is the one you steal without leaving your seat.

Some words can be derived from Inemuri, such as sleeping while driving, which in Japanese is inemuriunten [居眠り運転]. The word can also be a verb, inemuru [居眠る], which means to doze off.

Japanese People Sleeping in Public Places

Being seen sleeping in public is not a problem in Japan. The practice has been around for a long time. People sleep anywhere: trains, shops, restaurants, cafés, benches. I have even had the chance to slip into that nap myself.

Two people asleep on a park bench, and a man in a suit asleep at a restaurant table with a ramen bowl

In some cases, it is not just a quick nap. Most cases of Japanese people sprawled out sleeping on the street involve drunk individuals or those who missed the last train. In the worst cases, it could be a homeless person.

Still, the Japanese simply do not mind sleeping in many public places. Other people present usually do not disturb them and just ignore it.

Young man in a navy jacket asleep with his head on a classroom desk

Can you believe that some can even sleep while getting a haircut? In some schools, it is common to find children sleeping during class, and the most that happens is a tug on the ear from the sensei or a poke.

At school, you are not usually teased by your classmates nor do you typically go to the office to receive a warning for sleeping. Of course, there are limits to how and when you nap. Snoring is already a big problem, and stretching out like a bed is no longer inemuri.

Japanese People Sleeping on Trains

It is very common to find people sleeping on trains in Japan. Some sleep standing, while others seem focused with good posture but are actually sleeping.

Man lying in a train aisle, a woman asleep against a door, and another sitting on the floor by the doors

Others go beyond the limit and end up stretching out, lying down, and rolling around inside the train, necessitating a poke. Most people practice inemuri on trains now and then. I have done it myself.

Train journeys are quite relaxing and tend to make you sleepy. Regardless of having slept all night, I have kind of dozed off on a train. It almost feels like riding a train in Japan is like watching ASMR videos.

Woman and a man in a suit dozing on a Japanese train while a student stands nearby

The practice of inemuri has been decreasing, especially on trains, thanks to the popularization of smartphones. Now young people are sleeping less and less, browsing social media or playing games.

Still, it is very common to come across hilarious scenes of people sleeping on trains. The unofficial rule is the same as elsewhere in public: stay in your space, do not use a stranger as a pillow, and try not to miss your station.

Japanese People Sleeping at Work

Some have heard that in Japan it is allowed to sleep at work. Is that true? In some jobs, the answer is yes. Some Japanese people even sleep in meetings.

Taking a nap during work can be seen as a sign that you are doing your best. It may be that the person is exhausted from working too much or simply stayed out late at a bar. Showing up still counts. Closing your eyes for a moment does not always mean you have walked out of the meeting.

Man asleep on his feet in a train car, and a Japanese delegate sleeping at a meeting desk marked Japan

Unfortunately, not everyone can have this privilege of sleeping at work. Only higher-ranking people, or those whose job allows it, get that latitude. Others simply sleep hidden if the job allows it.

Factory workers or subordinates cannot nap at work. If this happens, they could 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 napping, but you cannot do the same. In any case, practicing inemuri does not mean that the person is lazy. Just make sure it is not a problem.

A company nap room is a different story: that is a planned rest, closer to hirune. Inemuri is still the unofficial doze at the desk or in the meeting, and it is still easier the higher you sit in the hierarchy.

Woman in a gray suit sitting at a meeting table with her eyes closed

What do you think of Inemuri?

A proper night still beats a string of stolen dozes. Japan regularly comes out near the bottom of sleep surveys among rich countries — around seven hours and twenty minutes a day in OECD comparisons — and a 2017 national health survey found roughly half of people in their forties sleeping under six hours.

Not only because they are working. Plenty of people like to spend the night out, or browsing the internet and social media. The Japanese friends I talk to are up past two in the morning on social media.

Some work too much, which ends up generating mental and physical stress. Remembering that we should not generalize, thinking that Japanese people work themselves to death. I have already talked about this in zangyo, Japan's overtime.

Couple asleep on a tiled sidewalk, and a man sleeping under umbrellas surrounded by drink cans

The brief periods of sleep from inemuri help take the edge off, improve concentration for a while, and get you to the next station or the end of a meeting. They do not replace a night in bed.

In some places, the rule is to relax without being seen as gone. The person must show themselves physically present and socially engaged. Unfortunately, not everyone can follow the rules.

Overall, inemuri can look like a matter of pride in Japanese work culture, while it is seen as shameful and strange in other parts of the world. A smaller reading is more useful: it is a way of being temporarily away without leaving the situation. What do you think about it?