Inemuri - Japanese Napping in Public Places

Have you ever come across a video or image of a Japanese man sleeping in an extremely unimaginable way on a train in Japan? In this article we will talk about the Inemuri, the famous Japanese nap.

The word Inemuri can refer to any nap taken by Japanese in public places, at work and especially on trains which is very common and frequent. Even I've had a chance to try this nap.

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 up or taking a nap.

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 - Japanese napping in public places

The inemuri it's a light nap, the simple act of closing your eyes, sleeping sitting up or standing up. It mainly refers to polyphasic sleep, short naps of 20 minutes that if applied several hours equates to good sleep.

Some words can be derived from Inemuri as in the case of the word sleep at the wheel which in Japanese is said inemuriuten [居眠り運転]. The word can also be a verb inemuru [居眠る] which means to nap and put off.

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.

Inemuri - Japanese napping in public places

In some cases it's not a quick nap. Most cases of Japanese people sleeping on the street are people who are drunk or who have missed the last train. In the worst case it can be a homeless.

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.

Inemuri - Japanese napping in public places

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.

Inemuri - Japanese napping in public places

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.

Inemuri - Japanese napping in public places

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.

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Japanese sleeping at work

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

Taking a nap while working he can be seen as a sign that you are doing your best. It could be that the person is exhausted from working so much or simply stayed up late at a bar.

Inemuri - Japanese napping in public places

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 watch your boss nap, but you can't do the same. In any case, practice inemuri It doesn't mean the person is lazy. Just make sure it's not a problem.

Inemuri - Japanese napping in public places

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, this ends up generating mental and physical stress, which affects health. Remembering that we don't need to generalize, thinking that the Japanese work themselves to death, I already talked about this in another article.

Inemuri - Japanese napping in public places

The brief periods of sleep inemuri they help to relax the mind, concentrate better and even rejuvenate and clarify ideas. Perhaps this is one of the main 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!

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