Japanese Archetype of Sleep; l'Archétype japonais du Sommeil

I explored Sleep in Japan in the late eighties:  is there a frame common to all Japanese?  Is it deeply rooted?  How specific might it be to the Japanese Culture?…

When I proceeded to ethnological observations, I noticed so many people sleeping among others, in connecting trains, in office conferences, etc.
When I considered facts, I found that Japanese tended to avoid prescribing / taking sleeping drugs.  I found that minor tranquilizers were often used for protecting others from the disturbing pattern of an individual, rather than for benefiting an individual per se.

When I collected Japanese people responses to "Sleep", I found that many negative connotations were associated to Sleep in Japan, a feeling of being isolated, separated from the community, a relation to depression and death.  This, in opposition to anxiety, considered to be somewhat positive and a common state of life.

I had Japanese people writing up their earliest memories on "Sleep".  One of the common features was a feeling of discomfort and isolation.  Many early memories relate sleeping in an unusual environment, , of being separated from the safe haven of the kin.

When I collected Japanese people responses to "Awakening", most reactions and memories were utterly positive.  Opening the ears (newspaper delivery, song of a bird, etc.) was often prevalent as compared to opening the eyes, comfortably warming up was also a feature.

When the laboratory Upjohn (now part of Pfizer) launched its sleeping drug ®Halcion (triazolam) in Japan, it chooses to promote the drug as an awakener rather than as a sleep inducer.  Its slogan was "Halcion no Asa" ("the morning of Halcion").  The success was tremendous:  with a relatively tiny salesforce, Upjohn doubled the sleep inducers stagnant market, relevantly achieving - and maintaining for many years - a 50% market-share.