TOKYO-ITES SLEEP LESS

Here's an interesting story:

New York may be known as the city that never sleeps, but Tokyo business people get less time in the sack than their New York peers -- or those of Paris, Stockholm and Shanghai.

According to a survey of five cities, people in Tokyo sleep on weekdays an average of just under 6 hours.

People in Shanghai sleep the longest at 7 hours and 28 minutes.

Those in New York sleep 6 hours and 35 minutes.

“I think people in Tokyo may just be too busy,” said a spokeswoman for the survey.

In the mornings and evenings, trains are full of dozing commuters, heads bobbing. Some even manage to nap as they stand, clinging to overhead ring handles.

In Shanghai, people simply go to bed earlier. Everyone in the city gets up around the same time in the mornings, between 6:30 and7:00.

In Tokyo, after a long day, people seem to do things when they get home such as pursuing hobbies, surfing the Internet or playing computer games. They don't sleep until after midnight.

Not surprisingly, when asked what was most important in their lives, Japanese gave sleep top ranking.

By contrast, New Yorkers and Shanghai residents said time with their family came first.

Source: Yomiuri News 2010-8-12

But as for me, I'm going to bed . . . and it isn't even midnight!