Pop Japan

Inemuri, or the act of sleeping in public, is one of Japan’s many curious traditions. 

In most countries, sleeping on the job results in a sanction, or even worse, being fired. Japan, on the contrary, tolerates ‘Inemuri’ as they consider it is praise-worthy. Inemuri is not ‘sleeping on the job’ but ‘sleeping while present’, just having a power nap. This is taken as a sign that a person has been working hard to the point of exhaustion. The people of Japan describe a person to be virtuous when he is ‘going to bed late and rising early’, and sleeping in public displays diligence. Inemuri is not restricted to work place, and is considered a norm in Japan. 

Photo by: hiroo yamagata. Licensed under Creative Commons.  

Tags: inemuri, sleeping in public, japan's curious traditions, tradition, sleeping on the job, working hard, point of exhaustion, people of japan, japan, norm in japan