ABSTRACT. Japanese high-school students often study until late into the night and sacrifice their sleep in order to pass entrance and other exams. On the other hand, they often take a nap in the (late) afternoon, and daytime napping or inemuri is widely tolerated. This article asks what cultural and social sense it makes to keep students up for studying, when they cannot concentrate on what is being said in class. It examines notions of time and diligence based on the ethnographic findings and analyses sleep, especially inemuri, from sociological perspective. KEY WORDS • diligence • high school • Japan • sleep • time
Since 1 July 2020, all retail businesses in Japan have been required by law to charge customers for plastic carrier bags in order to reduce the use of single-use plastic and to encourage consumers to change their lifestyles. This has resulted in more shoppers using their own bags, but has also drawn more emotional responses. This article analyses reactions to the plastic carrier bag levy in konbini (convenience stores) and discusses how it has changed customer service and shopping routines, at the same time as affecting notions of convenience, generosity, and propriety. The levy is also challenging consumers’ notions of cleanliness and pollution, as the plastic bag is changing from something that can both protect its contents from dirt and pollution (as a carrier bag) and protect the environment from its dirty contents (as a waste bag) to something that in itself pollutes the environment.
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