Getting smart by napping in class – Social and cultural aspects of sleeping in the Japanese classroom

Japanese high school students often study until late into the night and sacrifice their sleep in order to pass entrance and other exams. On the other hand, they often take a nap in the (late) afternoon, and daytime napping or inemuri
is widely tolerated. In this presentation I will describe
students’ sleep habits and ask what cultural and social sense it makes to keep students up for studying while on the other hand they cannot concentrate on what is being said in class. I will also attempt to explain the cultural and sociological aspects of sleep, especially of inemuri.

Dr. Brigitte Steger (brigitte.steger@univie.ac.at) is Assistant Professor in Japanese Studies at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Vienna and currently Visiting Scholar at Sophia University with a scholarship by the Canon Foundation.