A Standing ‘Nap Box’ Has Been Invented For An Overworked Workforce
Forget taking inconspicuous naps at your desk—two Japanese companies, office furniture store Itoki Corporation and lumber supplier Koyoju Gohan KK, have designed a ‘nap box’ for you to sleep in… while standing.
As part of a solution to the overworked culture in Japan, salarymen often take naps in bathrooms to get them through the long hours, as said by Itoki Corporation’s communications director, Saeko Kawashima, in an interview with Bloomberg News. The ‘nap box’ was created to provide a better and more comfortable option for workers to sleep in.
2 japanese companies set to release vertical nap box,
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) July 15, 2022
so workers can sleep standing upright in a pod (like a flamingo)
most japanese news ever pic.twitter.com/oQYur4Run0
This vampire coffin-like device is an upright sleeping pod that stands on four legs. It was designed to keep the neck, knees, and rear supported as workers dream the afternoon away. To the unsuspecting eye, it would look like nothing more than an oddly shaped cabinet. But peer inside, and you might find your colleague catching some Z’s.
Japan is notorious for its long working hours, often including unpaid overtime. As a result, people resort to napping on the job so often that a colloquialism has been coined—“inemuri.”
While the box may spark thoughts of claustrophobia more than a comfy place to rest your head, it could be a step in getting workplaces to rethink working culture and provide a flexible option for employees to relax while on the job—or challenge them to overhaul their schedules. Itoki Corporation and Koyoju Gohan KK have not yet reached a price or availability for the boxes.
[via Bloomberg and New York Post, cover image via ITOKI]
