Japan Company To Release ‘Nap Box’ For Employees To Sleep Upright In It To ‘Promote Healthier Working Culture’

Japan, albeit a beautiful country, is also notorious for its rigid working culture. Most Japanese employees work very hard and very long hours, making working in Japan more stressful compared to other countries.

To tackle the issue of overworking and long office hours, Japan’s Itoki Corp. and Koyoju Gohan KK are partnering to release vertical ‘nap boxes’ with the purpose of bringing healthier office culture to the country. According to Bloomberg, the nap box is in its design process, and the pricing and availability have yet to be decided.

The nap box will allow users to sleep in it vertically, and the initial design ensures the head, knees and rear of the person are all comfortably supported so that he or she will not fall over while standing (sleeping).

“In Japan, there are a lot of people who will lock themselves up in the bathroom for a while, which I don’t think is healthy. It’s better to sleep in a comfortable location,” Saeko Kawashima, the communications director at Itoki told Bloomberg.

He also added that many Japanese employees work without a break, and he hopes that companies can utilise this product as a more flexible approach to resting.

Due to the extremely long working hours, Japanese workers tend to sleep during the day, such as during work, in the cafes, or on commuter trains to make it through the working shift, and there is even a term for it — inemuri, which simply means sleeping while being present.

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