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Nov 11 2014 13 Comments

Slightly surreal Japanese public sleeping

People passed out on the streets in Tokyo isn’t an especially uncommon sight, particularly so on a Saturday or Sunday morning. As regardless of whether one is a young reveller or long in the tooth transvestite, it’s all too easy to get carried away with Japan’s wonderfully relaxed licensing laws.

This scene, however, is a bit different. There are of course the tired souls, but then there’s also a mannequin, sleeping bag and the fluffy green outfit. Almost like an odd mix of public sleeping and performance art.

Japanese public sleeping

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda says

    11/11/2014 at 9:18 am

    The green fuzzy guy looks like an off-duty mascot character. But where’s his head? Surely you get fired if you lose your head.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/11/2014 at 9:31 am

      Haha, that’s very true! Hadn’t even thought of that. If only he had been wearing it, that would have really been something.

      Reply
      • Linda says

        11/11/2014 at 10:01 am

        You’ll get that photo someday, I’m sure of it.

        Reply
        • Lee says

          11/11/2014 at 3:34 pm

          Hope so. Fingers crossed and all that.

          Reply
  2. Coli says

    11/11/2014 at 11:15 am

    Lee I’m telling you you’ve gotta published a book. Awesome.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/11/2014 at 3:35 pm

      Cheers! It would be nice. One day. Maybe. Hopefully!

      Reply
  3. Hans ter Horst says

    11/11/2014 at 11:18 pm

    Very difficult to make any sense of those three without any context, clearly they came well prepared for their nap with the cardboard, etc.. I’ll just add it to the ‘amazing Tokyo’ category. 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/12/2014 at 1:47 pm

      I know. Actually being there didn’t add any more meaningful context either. A very odd one…

      Reply
  4. Jeffrey says

    11/13/2014 at 1:31 am

    The green outfit is great.

    I think what makes the “kinks” so outrageous by comparison is because the society is otherwise so straight-laced about so many meaningless things. I mean, face it, where can one see the kind of dress-up common to Harajuku daily outside the Greenwich Village Halloween parade?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/13/2014 at 5:19 pm

      A bit special, isn’t it?

      Yeah, for all Japan’s adherence to rules and societal expectations, there are a surprising amounts of sights like this to see. Definitely not just in the likes of Harajuku either.

      Reply
  5. Tri says

    11/17/2014 at 9:26 am

    Those maroon boat shoes are sharp!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/17/2014 at 5:34 pm

      He’s sharply dressed in general. Certainly too sharp to be sleeping in a dingy alley. Or at least that’s what one would assume…

      Reply
  6. ware says

    11/29/2014 at 8:19 am

    Those mannequins and setting…like you are gonna wake up in some Silent Hill nightmare…with a hangover;(

    Reply

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