INEMURI - POD

  

Inemuri in Japanese Culture

The Japanese take pride in their country being renowned as a hardworking nation that hardly sleeps. According to a study undertaken by the Japanese Government in 2015, “39.5% of Japanese adults slept for less than 6 hours a day” on an average. The sight of people sleeping in public transport and other public spaces, as well as at work – even during work meetings – is a common one, especially in a city like Tokyo.

Inemuri or ‘sleeping while being present’ is a socio-cultural phenomenon that rose to prominence in Japan at the time of the country’s economic boom after the Second World War. It is considered as a “sign of hard work” – be it on way to work, at work or on way back from work. It is therefore socially accepted in Japan, as long as it does not result in trespassing into others’ space. Inemuri is in fact often even encouraged by employers at workplaces, for it is known to help increase the staff’s productivity. 

At the same time, in the districts of Tokyo famous for their nightlife, it is common to see (especially young) people trying to catch some after-party sleep at public spaces in the early morning hours, while they wait for the public transportation to become operational for the day.  

[No] Space for Inemuri

As a hard-working resident of Tokyo, if you wanted to indulge in inemuri to increase your productivity – at work or after working / partying hard – wouldn’t it be simply great if you could find an inexpensive, comfortable place for a short rest with just a few taps on your smartphone?  

And, at a time when a very serious accommodation shortage is anticipated during the Olympic and Paralympic Games to be hosted in Tokyo in 2020, what if it was possible to utilise this place for inemuri as visitor accommodation?

What is Poke-Pod ?

Poke-Pod is a public sleeping pod that offers a personal space – to rest or sleep in while experiencing the surrounding urban environment – at an affordable price. The pod reinterprets the concept of inemuri within the Japanese public urban landscape as well as offers an alternative to sleeping in a ‘traditional’ hotel bed, and can be used by the locals of Tokyo and visitors to the city alike. 

Compact like the capsule-shaped units of Japanese pod-hotels, Poke-Pod’s structure and looks are inspired respectively by the world-famous Japanese art of Origami and anime Pokémon. Rather than being an unwieldy monolithic construction, the mobile sleeping pod is designed to fit seamlessly within smaller interstitial urban spaces in a bustling Japanese city like Tokyo, thus doubling up as contemporary urban street furniture.

Features 

Poke-Pod is a collapsible module that can be transformed into a temporary place for inemuri / resting / sleeping, and returned to its compact original form with minimal human assistance in a matter of just a few seconds.

Its Origami-inspired structure is made from lightweight industrial material. The external skin of the pod is designed to be weather and sound proof, and, to ensure hygiene, all surfaces of the pod are washable. 

The Pokémon-inspired visual look of Poke-Pod furthermore connects the pop-culture legacy of Japanese anime to Tokyo’s physical urban environment, while functioning as a stress-relieving tool.

Poke-Pod comes with a modifiable design, and hence easily adaptable to context-specific requirements of different urban settings. The module also provides storage space, while its exterior serves as an urban advertising space that blends with the surrounding public realm, thus contributing to Poke-Pod’s aesthetic and economic viability.

 

Poke-Pod-Net: A Dynamic Network

The Poke-Pod module is the main component of Poke-Pod-Net, an intricate network of pods for inemuri / resting / sleeping, simultaneously functioning as a dynamic grid of urban street furniture spread all over the city.

This network furthermore utilises existing wall-mounted or standalone advertising posts/kiosks for fixing the pods and integrating utilities such as toilets and showers. Refreshment vending machines in the vicinity of Poke-Pods are also integrated in the network, and serve as bedding dispenser as well as mini bars. As a result, the ‘add-on’ services offered by hotels are also available for the Poke-Pod guests, if required. At the same time, like the unobtrusive sleeping pods, the advertising post/kiosks and vending machines too blend into the urban context, altering into multiple shapes whenever required. 

Rent a Poke-Pod

Once you have downloaded the free Poke-Pod App on your smart phone, you are only a few clicks away from renting the Poke-Pod module at a location and for the duration of your choice. Whether you want your inemuri or rest or sleep, be it at a public plaza or sidewalk or any other preferred urban setting in Tokyo, the Poke-Pod App offers just the kind of personal space you need, subject to the actual availability of the modules. Poke-Pod guests can thus use the dynamic facility where they want and for as long as they want, while experiencing – as an “invisible” spectator – the surrounding urban environment of a city that has a reputation for being active 25/8. 

If toilets, showers or any other ‘add-on’ services are a must-have on your list, just select the appropriate filter for these extra services in the app, and your search will automatically be narrowed down to suit your requirements. 

Want to know when you can download the Poke-Pod App, to find out where is the closest available pod for your inemuri, so you can emerge more refreshed from the power nap? Or to be able to book an affordable stay for Tokyo 2020? Watch this space for more information …

Disclaimer - All ideas mentioned in this post (Poke-Pod Urban Sleeping Experience, Poke-Pod Inemuri, Poke-Pod Hotel, Poke- Pod APP, etc.) are the copyright of GPS. The copyright for all text and images provided in this post also belongs to GPS, unless otherwise mentioned. Note that the copyright of Pokémon and Mario is owned by The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo respectively. The visuals related to Japanese anime such as Pokémon and Mario used in this blog are for reference only.