Power Naps in Japan

A little while ago I was on a business trip in Japan. In fact I was staying in Kyoto and attending a number of meetings and presentations between a delegation of British Scientists and representatives from major Japanese companies. The reason I was there was because my boss was unable to attend so he sent me instead. Meeting all these top Japanese people was an exciting experience I will never forget. The hotel where we stayed was extremely luxurious, and the wining and dining truly superb.

The business end of things was quite frantic. Meetings would start early and go on until late, often past nine in the evening. The trip was also punctuated by visits to large Japanese companies along with some tourist sights involving long trips on coaches. During the long meetings it was not unusual to see many of the Japanese delegates apparently fall asleep. I was quite shocked when I first saw this. The Japanese are usually the most courteous and polite people I know, but it struck me as extremely rude to openly fall asleep during a presentation.

I subsequently learned that the Japanese have an unusual ability to take sleep whenever there is an opportunity in a varity of beds. They work very hard and do not sleep for long during the night. In fact on average they only sleep for between six and six and a half hours a night. To compensate they take little naps during the day whenever they can, including meetings during periods when they are not actively involved. They also had the ability to wake up and continue as though they had been conscious throughout. Although I could not join them, every night I was grateful for my comfortable hotel bed and a good nights sleep.

--
I subsequently learned that the Japanese have an unusual ability to take sleep whenever there is an opportunity in a varity of beds. They work very hard and do not sleep for long during the night. In fact on average they only sleep for between six and six and a half hours a night. To compensate they take little naps during the day whenever they can, including meetings during periods when they are not actively involved. They also had the ability to wake up and continue as though they had been conscious throughout. Although I could not join them, every night I was grateful for my comfortable hotel bed and a good nights sleep.