1st sesesion

1. Introduce yourself.

2. Do you have any bedtime routine?

3. What do you usually do when you're having trouble falling asleep?

Half of Japanese Workers Get Less than 6 Hours' Sleep

According to America's National Sleep Foundation, adults aged 18 to 64 should try to get seven to nine hours of sleep every night. But a recent government report from Japan has found that more than 45% of the country's workers are sleeping less than six hours per night.

And 10% are sleeping less than five hours.

The report is called The 2023 White Paper on Measures to Prevent Karoshi, etc. ― where karoshi means "death from overwork." A version of the report is prepared for the Japanese government every year.

For the 2023 report, the government surveyed nearly 10,000 workers.

The workers were also asked about their ideal sleeping time, with the largest group ― also about 45% ― saying they would like to sleep about seven to eight hours a night.

However, it was found that most workers are getting less sleep than they'd like ― and the more hours they work, the less likely they are to get their ideal amount of sleep.

About 44% of those working less than 20 hours a week get their ideal sleep time. But that figure drops to 36% among those working 20 to 40 hours.

The majority of participants were working 40 to 60 hours a week ― but among those participants fewer than 29% said they get their ideal sleep time. And less than one-quarter of those working 60 or more hours get their ideal sleep time.

It was also found that the greater the difference between a worker's actual and ideal sleep time, the lower their sense of well-being, and the greater their symptoms of depression and anxiety.

A little less than one-third of participants were getting as much sleep as they'd like ― and nearly 70% of those participants showed no symptoms of depression or anxiety.

But among those getting five hours less sleep than they'd like, nearly 40% had symptoms of severe depression or anxiety.

1. Were you surprised to learn that half of Japanese workers get less than six hours of sleep per night?

2. Koreans sleep 6.8 hours a day according to KOSIS. What do you think about it?

3. What is your ideal sleep time? How often do you get this much sleep?

4. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?

2nd session

Introduce yourself.

Which do you prefer, bus or subway?

How often do you use the subway? Is there anything you don't like about it?

Seoul to Test Seatless Subway Cars for Rush Hour

In South Korea, the word jiokcheol ("ji-ha-chol"), a mix of the words "subway" and "hell", is used to talk about the busy rush hours on trains, where the subway cars are packed with people.

This is especially true in Seoul, where around 7 million people take the subway every day. Seoul Metro is one of the busiest subway systems in the world ― and with nine lines and nearly 300 stations, it's also one of the world's largest.

Now, Seoul Metro is planning to try out standing-only cars on two of its nine lines, to help stop congestion during rush hours.

Two cars on each subway train on Lines 4 and 7 will have their seats taken out in January 2024, to create more standing space for passengers during the morning and evening rush hours.

Congestion levels on subway cars on Line 4 were at nearly 200% during the busiest hours in the third quarter of this year, according to Seoul Metro. Cars on Line 7 were also very busy, with 164% congestion recorded during the same time.

With the new standing-only cars, Seoul Metro hopes these figures will decrease by about 40% on Line 4, and 34% on Line 7.

If the project is successful, more trains will have standing-only cars in the future, so that the people of Seoul can use the subway "comfortably and safely," Seoul Metro CEO Baek Ho said.

This month, Seoul Metro will also add more trains to the two congested lines during rush hours.

1. What are your thoughts on Seoul Metro testing standing-only cars?

2. Is there any other way to reduce congestion in rush hour?

3. Public transit fares in Busan increased recently. Is it cheap or not? What do you think about it?

4. How long is your commute? How do you usually pass the time?