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Opinion
Gearoid Reidy

The Land of the Rising Sun Rises Much Too Early

Hours of productive daylight are largely wasted in Tokyo, where the summer dawn breaks before 5 a.m. It’s time to figure out a better system. 

Too early.

Too early.

Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
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The sun pierces through the curtains. Birds are chirping. The thermometer nears 30C (86F). It’s not yet 5 a.m.

It’s a pretty typical scene during Tokyo’s long, muggy summers. Japan may be the land of the rising sun but, us residents often ask ourselves, couldn’t it rise (and set) a little later?