Just a note (and this is only my opinion): The photos you see of people sleeping on the stairs, etc are probably late-night drunks, not inemuri The phenomenon

Just a note (and this is only my opinion): The photos you see of people sleeping on the stairs, etc are probably late-night drunks, not inemuri The phenomenon described is real, but people do it more slumped over on the train, meetings, etc. not sprawled out on the sidewalk. Furthermore, it extends beyond salarymen on trains; my wife & teenage daughter both do it simply as a way of life almost. They could go to bed at a decent hour but usually stay up late & catnap instead.