Standing sleeping pods coming to Tokyo cafe, promise to relieve fatigue and stress【Pics】

Nescafé Harajuku is offering the opportunity to nap like a giraffe.

The whole point of stepping into a cafe for a cup of coffee is that it’s more comfortable and relaxing than just grabbing a drink from a vending machine or convenience store. A comfortable seat and laid-back ambiance go a long way towards making that coffee not just a beverage, but a reason to take a few moments and mentally decompress.

Of course, it’d be even more relaxing to just take a nap, which will be on option at the Harajuku Nescafé in downtown Tokyo later this month, which will be installing some very unusual sleep pods.

Giraffenap is a standing sleeping booth created by Hokkaido-based Koyoju Plywood Corporation. The company doesn’t say why they chose the name, but it might be because not only are giraffes capable of sleeping while standing up, but because they only sleep for a few minutes at a time, what we’d call a “nap.”

Sleeping while standing isn’t something our human bodies are designed to do, though, so the Giraffenap provides a little biomechanical assistance. Inside the booth are pads and platforms to support your head, butt, shins, and the soles of your feet. With those body parts accounted for, the designers say it’s possible to reach Stage 2 sleep, a restful pre-REM condition.

A 20-minute Giraffenap nap, the designers promise, improves mental performance by reducing fatigue and stress while boosting concentration and memory retention. As part of its “Standing Coffee Nap” promotion, Nescafé Harajuku actually recommends drinking a cup of coffee first and then taking a 20-minute nap in the pod, so that the caffeine will be kicking in right about the time you’re waking up.

The Giraffenap comes in two designs, the futuristic Spacia and woody Forest, but the interiors seem to be identical. Koyoju Plywood is recommending them to wellness-minded workplaces that want to create a space for employees to take mid-day naps but who lack the floor space to put in a full bed for that purpose.

Giraffenap is slated to go on sale in late December or early January, but the pods will be at the Harajuku Nescafé from August 22 to September 17, with reservations available online here.

Cafe information
Nescafé Harajuku / ネスカフェ原宿
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 1-22-8
東京都渋谷区神宮前１丁目２２−８
Website

Source: PR Times (1, 2)
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times (1, 2)
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