Against (Japan, Tokyo)

In Japan, sleeping in public places is neither frowned upon nor associated with social loafing. On Tokyo trains, it's common to observe passengers dozing with their heads pressed against the window or their fists clenched around phones . This cultural practice has a name: inemuri (居眠り) — literally, " sleeping while being present ."

It symbolizes the acceptability of discreet rest , often linked to professional or academic overwork. Inemuri marks the blurred line between duty accomplished and tolerated exhaustion .

The subway becomes a silent theater of shared abandonment , where everyone can briefly disconnect in a hyperfunctional society.

Photographing this scene reveals an invisible part of Japanese urban intimacy .