Dozens of people competed, on Monday, in the capital of Japan, Tokyo, to sleep as fast as possible in the "Matt Rice" competition, organized by the "Koala Sleep Japan" company, which specializes in sleeping equipment, in a country whose population sleep rates are low compared to OECD countries.

Participants lay on comfortable mattresses in dim lighting, equipped with sensors to monitor their sleep, while organizers set sleep duration to a maximum of 90 minutes, awarding the best participant a prize of more than two million yen ($12,645).

The company's creative director, Richiro Nakama, explained that the competition was designed to encourage the Japanese to sleep and increase interest in its importance, since their average sleep reached 7 hours and 24 minutes a day, according to OECD data for 2021, which is the lowest rate among the countries of the organization, in light of the long working hours, exhausting nightlife and noise.