ibunka TB_U2

Unit 2

i - Sleep and Rest

INTRODUCTION TO TEACHERS Students may do a double-take at the title of this unit, but as they explore the topic they will see that even sleeping habits- where, when, and how we rest- are quite bound to culture. As evidenced in some of the responses, it is a classic culture shock for foreigners in Japan to notice the ubiquity of people sleeping on trains, in meetings, and in classes. But this unit is not about categorizing Japanese people as overworked and exhausted. We want students to think about why there are different attitudes to sleep. Why is it considered (more) acceptable in Japan than in other cultures to sacriYice one’s own sleep for more work, study, or even free time?

Part 1 ........................................................................................................38 Part 2 ........................................................................................................40 One Step Further .................................................................................43 Cultural Commentary ........................................................................47

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UNIT 2 | INTRODUCTION

Part 1

1 - You and Your Culture

Online Form for WARM-UP SURVEY (textbook p.14)

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Online Form for INTERVIEW (textbook p.15)

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Example Sentences for INTERVIEW (textbook p.15) Q1: On average, how many hours a day do you sleep? Is that enough for you? • I get about 6 hours of sleep a night. I don’t think it’s enough for me, because I always feel tired. • I usually sleep about 8 hours a night. I feel that that’s enough to keep me rested. • I only average about 5 and a half hours’ sleep per night. It’s nowhere near enough for me. Q2: Do you ever sleep during the daytime? If so, where? • I occasionally sleep in the library on campus between classes. • I sleep on the train almost every day. • I often have an afternoon nap in my room when I have no classes or part-time job. Q3: In what situations do you think it’s OK to sleep during the day? Q4: What kinds of things prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep? • My smartphone is the biggest reason I don’t get a good night’s sleep • My house is near a busy street, so trafLic noise sometimes keeps me awake. • I work until quite late most nights. That’s something that eats into my sleep and rest time. Q5: Do you think it’s important to manage your sleep? • Yes, I think it's important to manage your sleep because I want to be able to do my best every day, and at the same time maintain my mental and physical health. • I think it's very important, but in practice I am distracted by my smartphone, or sometimes I work until very late. I want to change this bad habit. • Yes, because I want to have enough energy. But in practice I often just catch up on sleep by taking naps. • I think it’s Line to sleep on the train or bus, but not in classes at university. • I think it’s OK to sleep in big classes of over 50 people, but not in small classes. • I think it’s OK to sleep on the train or bus and in long meetings.

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UNIT 2 | WARM-UP SURVEY & INTERVIEW

Script for Model INTERVIEW (textbook p.15)

→ Available as audio track “2-00-Interview2” for listening/note-taking practice.

Q1: On average, how many hours a night do you sleep? Sara: I’d say I get about six hours a night. Q1.2: And is that enough for you? Sara: No, I don’t think so. Q2: Do you ever sleep during the daytime? Sara: Yes, I often have little naps in my room. Sometimes I sleep on the train home from university. Q3: I see. In what situations do you think it’s OK to sleep during the day? Sara: Well, on the train is Yine. Most people do it. And I guess in a big class, say with more than 50 people in it, it’s ok to have a short nap if you’re really tired. Q4: What kinds of things prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep? Sara: I study until quite late, and that sometimes stops me getting enough rest. My room is near a busy road, so trafYic noise also keeps me awake. And then once I’m up I start looking at my smartphone, and that makes it hard for me to fall back to sleep. Q5: Yeah. I’m like that too. Do you think it’s important to manage your sleep? Sara: Yes, of course. But I have an entrance exam for grad school coming up, so I have too much study to get much sleep! Q5.1: That’s tough. Hang in there!

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UNIT 2 | INTERVIEW

Online Form for EXPRESSION 1 & 2 (textbook p.16)

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Example Sentences for EXPRESSION 1 (textbook p.16) • In my opinion, construction workers in Japan tend to sleep in public. • In my opinion, students who play sports in Japan tend to nod off during the day. • I think that the elderly are more likely than young people to get a good night's sleep. • I think that convenience store workers are more likely than ofYice workers to stay up all night. • In my opinion, in Japan students who have a test the next day tend to stay up all night studying. Example Sentences for EXPRESSION 2 (textbook p.16) • In my view, a majority of university students in Japan tend to suffer from a lack of sleep because of TV and smartphones, but personally I don’t. • In my experience, a good many students who attend juku in Japan sleep during classes, and I did too. • In my view, many ofYice workers in Japan sleep whenever they can, but I don’t. I only take naps at home. • In my experience, a majority of students who play sports get a good night’s sleep, and I did too when I belonged to the tennis club in junior high school.

Part 2

t 2 - People in Other Cultures

Online Form for PART 2 (textbook p.17-p.19)

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Answers to COMPREHENSION 1 (textbook p.17) Highlighted words are those from the VOCABULARY boxes.

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UNIT 2 | EXPRESSION & COMPREHENSION

1 Matt , American, publisher, has lived in Japan When I lived in Japan, it seemed most people were overly tired; deprived of free time and sleep time. It was interesting to watch people doze off on the train and then suddenly, as if by magic, wake up just as they arrived at their station. How did they do that?

TRUE FALSE

→ Matt was surprised at the sleeping habits of people on trains in Japan.

☑

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2 Matt , American, publisher, has lived in Japan There also seemed to be a kind of perverse pride taken in doing an "all-nighter." I thought it was strange that people would stay up all night to work or study, as if they were showing commitment, and proving they were tough enough to fight off sleep in order to work or study more.

TRUE FALSE

→ Matt thinks that staying up all night is the best way to show that you are a hard worker.

☑

□

3 Miki , Japanese, writer, has lived in the UK I believe most Japanese people don’t get enough sleep. You can see people sleeping in public spaces like buses and trains, and even in business meetings or conferences. I guess that in the Japanese workplace, being productive and efficient is not as important as just showing up.

TRUE FALSE

→ According to Miki, efYiciency takes top priority in workplaces in Japan.

☑

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Answers to COMPREHENSION 2 (textbook p.18)

4 Stéphane, French, architect, lives in Japan It is indeed. When I was a child, my parents had a strict rule during the week that we had to go to bed at 9 p.m. This rule continued until I was about 13 or 14 years old. Since we got up around 7 a.m., this ensured us about 9 or 10 hours of sleep. There were no naps, so we had to get a good night's sleep. 5 Motoko , Japanese, homemaker, has lived in Australia I was surprised at how strictly Australian parents control their children's bedtime and send them to bed quite early. There was even a cute character (a person dressed in an animal suit) that would appear on TV screens at 7:30 in the evening and tell all children under the age of 12 to go to bed . We don’t have anything like that in Japan.

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UNIT 2 | COMPREHENSION

Example Sentences for DISCUSSION (textbook p.18) • I found Motoko’s response to be the most strange. I can’t believe that there is an announcement on TV telling children to go to bed. • I found Miki’s response to be the most relatable. I often see people sleeping at work in meetings etc, so I agreed with her when she said “in Japan, being productive is not as important as just showing up.”

Answers to CULTURE SHOCK (textbook p.19 )

6 Takako, Japanese, company employee, has lived in Belgium and France I did a year of study abroad at a university in Belgium. It was pretty tough because I had to work hard at my French to be able to keep up with the rest of the class. I often stayed up late studying, so sometimes I would fall asleep in class. One day, one of my teachers got really upset with me and woke me up. He said “If you’re coming here to sleep, you might as well stay at home!”.

TRUE FALSE

→ Takako got upset at her teachers in Belgium because they didn’t let her sleep in class.

☑

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7 Jurgen , German, engineer, has lived in Japan I’m an engineer, and I was posted to the Tokyo branch of my company for three years. From time to time we had to make presentations to potential clients. The day before, I always made a point of going home early, in order to get a good night’s sleep and be as sharp as I could on the big day. But my Japanese colleagues always stayed extra late on those occasions. That always shocked me, but I’m pretty sure they felt the same way about me.

TRUE FALSE

→ Jurgen thinks that on the night before an important task, it’s better to get enough rest than to work late.

☑

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Extra Discussion Questions 1. Where is the most embarrassing place you have ever fallen asleep? 2. Why do you think there are differences in reactions to sleeping in public across cultures?

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UNIT 2 | DISCUSSION & CULTURE SHOCK

One Step Further rther

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Suggested Answers for ONE STEP FURTHER Activities (Google Form)

p.76-p.77 | LOOKING FOR PATTERNS Here are some example answers for the Google form. 1 French / male / teacher / lives in Japan Cultural Pattern A: Many Japanese people seem not to get enough sleep / students who couldn't help but nose-dive in the middle of an activity / young Japanese people don't think that sleep is so vital 2 Canadian / male / employee / lives in Japan Cultural Pattern A: none 3 Irish / female / journalist / lives in Japan Cultural Pattern A: consider it a waste of time, but a pleasant waste of time. They sleep when they can 4 American / male / teacher / lives in Japan Cultural Pattern A: stay up too late / sleep is quite lacking for many / people sleep in public / how tolerated this is 5 American / male / teacher / lives in Japan Cultural Pattern A: none

Cultural Pattern B: something I've never seen in France / bad management of their sleep time

Cultural Pattern B: a lot of people are concerned about how much sleep they get / the importance of sleep

Cultural Pattern B: none

Cultural Pattern B: none

Cultural Pattern B: I get to bed by a certain time / aware of the importance of good rest /good sleeping habits

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UNIT 2 | ONE STEP FURTHER

6 German / female / homemaker / lives in Japan Cultural Pattern A: Japanese associated sleep with weakness or illness 7 French / female / architect / lives in Japan Cultural Pattern A: have not created a routine for falling asleep and getting up at a set time / Japanese people seem to be able to fall asleep regardless of any background noise. Noise at night is omnipresent in Japan 8 British / male / teacher / lives in Japan Cultural Pattern A: socially acceptable to sleep in meetings / Many of my students believe that the less sleep they have - especially before a test - the better they are studying 9 French / female / artist / lives in Japan Cultural Pattern A: I feel that many Japanese people do not have respect for the sleep of others

Cultural Pattern B: I wanted to sleep so much (between 8 and 9 hours a night)

Cultural Pattern B: That’s unthinkable in France / we do get a good night's sleep.

Cultural Pattern B: My belief is that they need to be well-rested, both to do their best in class and to learn out of class.

Cultural Pattern B: I had to really put my foot down to have my family respect my sleep. As children in France, we were taught to have consideration for other people, and not make any noise when a family member was sleeping or napping. Cultural Pattern B: Having enough energy is extremely important for me. For health and life in general, if you are tired, you miss out on a lot of things and opportunities. And on the contrary, if you are well-rested you can fully enjoy your day and work efficiently.

10 Finnish / male / engineer / lives in Japan Cultural Pattern A: none

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UNIT 2 | ONE STEP FURTHER

2 Sleep and Rest

One Step Further ACTIVITIES

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CULTURAL PATTERN A: Give your all In these cultures, it is admirable to work or study to your physical and mental limit. This means that you may sleep little at night, and rest wherever and whenever you can.

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Many Japanese people seem not to get enough sleep. It is amazing to see them falling asleep on public transportation at any time of the day, some even while standing up. Although my classes are very active (students have to talk a lot during the class) I've had a couple of students who couldn't help but nose-dive in the middle of an activity. This is something I've never seen in France. When I ask them why they are always tired, they usually tell me that they have a part-time HTS[JSNJSHJ XYTWJ OTG YMFY ƳSNXMJX [JW^ QFYJ FY SNLMY XTRJYNRJX J[JS NS YMJ RTWSNSL OZXY before class. From my point of view it's bad management of their sleep time, but I also get the sense that young Japanese people don't think that sleep is so vital! )UHQFK PDOH WHDFKHU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ In Canada a lot of people are concerned about how much sleep they get. There are occasional stories on the evening news or in the newspaper about the importance of sleep. From these stories, it sounds like people are not sleeping enough. &DQDGLDQ PDOH HPSOR\HH OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 2 I have the impression that Japanese people have a very special relationship with sleep, as if they consider it a waste of time, but a pleasant waste of time. They sleep when they can (on the train, in the middle of a family gathering, at work, etc) but they have only very short sleeps at night. For me, Japan is the paradise of naps. ΖULVK IHPDOH MRXUQDOLVW OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 3 My experience here in Japan is that people stay up too late, more so in the cities, though. In the countryside, folks tend to sleep better, and are more in tune with nature. However, the fact that many have hard jobs and long commutes means that sleep is quite lacking for many, as is evidenced by how often people sleep in public. It’s interesting to me how tolerated this is. $PHULFDQ PDOH WHDFKHU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 4

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As far I can remember, my parents insisted that I get to bed by a certain time, and that I wake up at a regular time. When I went to university, everything changed, and I became a night owl. Throughout my life I have remained aware of the importance of good rest. My wife and I bought top quality mattresses and bedding, seeing it as a way to support an important part of our lives. This kind of thinking eventually led me to use a smartphone app and keep track of my sleep time . ƳSI YMFY ITNSL XT XZUUTWYX good sleeping habits. $PHULFDQ PDOH WHDFKHU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 5 I was often asked why I wanted to sleep so much (between 8 and 9 hours a night). I always got the impression that Japanese people associated sleep with weakness or illness. *HUPDQ IHPDOH KRPHPDNHU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 6 Some young Japanese play video games, read or have fun until very late at night and have not created a routine for falling asleep and getting up at a set time. So when I ask them what they did the previous weekend, many students answer that they slept. Slept? Anything other than that? Just slept - all day long. That’s unthinkable in France! In my country we want to take advantage of the weekend to go out, to see family and friends, and have a good time. And we do get a good night's sleep. Another aspect is related to noise. Japanese people seem to be able to fall asleep regardless of any background noise. Noise at night is omnipresent in Japan, especially in the cities: people in the street coming out of bars and talking loudly, cars, bosozoku, etc. In France people would complain about these things but in Japan nobody seems to say anything. It’s as if it doesn’t bother them. )UHQFK IHPDOH DUFKLWHFW OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 7 &Y ƳWXY . \FX XZWUWNXJI YMFY NY \FX socially acceptable to sleep in meetings, especially the “smart sleepers”- the ones who could be instantly awake if a topic that affected their interests was discussed. Many of my students believe that the less sleep they have - especially before a test - the better they are studying. My belief is that they need to be well-rested, both to do their best in class and to learn out of class. %ULWLVK PDOH WHDFKHU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 8 I feel that many Japanese people do not have respect for the sleep of others. I had to really put my foot down to have my family respect my sleep. As children in France, we were taught to have consideration for other people, and not make any noise when a family member was sleeping or napping. )UHQFK IHPDOH DUWLVW OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 9 Having enough energy is extremely important for me. For health and life in general, if you are tired, you miss out on a lot of things and opportunities. And on the contrary, if you are well- WJXYJI ^TZ HFS KZQQ^ JSOT^ ^TZW IF^ FSI \TWP JKƳHNJSYQ^ . )LQQLVK PDOH HQJLQHHU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 10

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Cultural Commentary lt l Co entary

Sleeping: where, when, how much? Many foreigners in Japan are surprised and even shocked about the Japanese attitude to sleep and rest. In everyday life in Japan, people are seen to sleep during the daytime, in public, and sometimes in situations deemed appropriate with sleep in other parts of the world (e.g. at work, in the classroom). In many Western countries, people are taught from early childhood that getting enough sleep during the night is important for a healthy and balanced lifestyle. For example, both of the authors of this textbook had early bedtimes of around 7:30 when they were young. They still Yind it bafYling when they see small kids on the train late at night, or when children in their families-in-law are allowed to stay up past midnight during family gatherings. These differences are the topic of Comprehension 2 on page 18. This gives students a practical angle on different values and attitudes. Another crucial aspect of sleeping habits is co-sleeping- do children sleep in the same bed as their parents, and until what age? This topic is lightly touched on here (since co-sleeping affects the quality of sleep), but explored in greater depth in Unit 9: Parents and Children (in regards to the effect it has on parent-child relationships). Shockingly tired The Culture Shock section (p.19) shows two examples of what happens when these two cultural patterns clash. Japanese respondent Takako relates the shock and anger of her teachers in Belgium when she was discovered to be falling asleep in class. For her, sleeping in class happened because she “often stayed late studying”- that is, it was a result of her hard work. Perhaps she thought that she was showing goodwill or even respect to her teachers, Yirst by studying hard until late at night, and then by dragging herself to class even though she was very tired. A little dozing off could be understood and accepted, couldn’t it? Well, her teacher didn’t think so: he/she probably thought that the only way to study well, to take full advantage of a class, was to be fresh and rested after a good night’s sleep: “If you are coming here to sleep, you might as well stay at home”. Give your all, or manage your energy This points to a fundamental difference regarding what is considered the “best” way to participate in collective efforts. As the German respondent Jürgen notes on page 19, for him the best way to deal with a big day (and probably with the challenges of every day at the ofYice) is to be “sharp”, that is, to have gotten a good night’s sleep. This leads him to leave the ofYice early in order to be able to Yirst relax and then get enough sleep. He sees this as a condition for being productive, especially before an important work day. But as he remarks, his Japanese colleagues probably feel shocked by his behavior, perhaps construing it as egoistic. Jürgen exempliYies Cultural Pattern B in the One Step Further section (p.76): “Manage your energy.” Based on his response, his Japanese colleagues probably fall more into Cultural Pattern A: “Give your all.” There is a famous (yet not untrue) stereotype of Japanese culture: stay at work until you literally drop. It is considered noble to be working to the point of exhaustion. We can see that attitudes toward sleep and rest have deep implications on what is considered the “right” way to participate in study, work, and society in general. It has been noted that productivity in Japanese companies is actually quite low overall, but these companies produce decent results simply because their workers work long hours. In many Western countries, this system would be thought of as ridiculous. In these cultures, it is considered better for health (and therefore for work) to be productive and have a relaxed and fulYilling personal life, and this requires a decent amount of recreation and sleep. Respect my sleep! In the One Step Further section, two French respondents (no.7 and no.9) state quite bluntly that “Japanese people do not have respect for the sleep of others.” They themselves have been conditioned to sleep in strict conditions: alone in their room, in dim or darkened surroundings and in silence. Japanese people, who have been accustomed to sleep in the presence of other people (Yirst of all, their family members during childhood) in lighted and surrounding noise (for example in a living room where the TV is often on, and lights are often bright), do not understand such Westerners’ sensitivity and their insistence that “their sleep should be respected.” This is a very basic and everyday topic, yet since sleep is so vital to one’s health and lifestyle, it is an important one to consider anytime people from different cultures live together.

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UNIT 2 | CULTURAL COMMENTARY

References and further reading • Napping in Public? In Japan, That’s a Sign of Diligence ( New York Times article) • “Inemuri,” the Japanese Art of Taking Power Naps at Work, on the Subway, and Other Public Places ( Open Culture article)

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UNIT 2 | CULTURAL COMMENTARY