Japan to introduce vertical 'nap boxes' for over-worked employees

Two Japanese firms — Itoki Corporation and Koyoju Gohan KK — are collaborating to bring vertical "nap boxes" to the country in order to promote a healthier office culture, Bloomberg reported.

The collaboration between arose from a business-matching event at which Tokyo-based Itoki, a furniture specialist, met plywood supplier Koyoju Gohan from Hokkaido. 

On Thursday, the two signed a licence agreement, and Koyoju Gohan is now designing the nap box. Pricing and availability have yet to be determined.

Overly long office hours are well-known among Japanese workers, and the country even has a term for people who sleep during the day to get through a full shift or a long commute: inemuri.

Saeko Kawashima, Itoki's communications director said that a lot of people in Japan will lock themselves in the bathroom for a while, "I don't think is healthy. It's preferable to sleep in a comfortable environment," said Kawashima.

The nap box user will sleep upright in the pod like a flamingo. The initial design was created to ensure that the person's head, knees, and back are all comfortably supported so that they do not fall over. With research indicating that restorative rest boosts productivity, this new development may encourage Japanese workers to take short power naps throughout the day.

"I believe that many Japanese people work continuously with no breaks," Kawashima said. "We hope that businesses will use this as a more flexible approach to resting."