If you have ever fallen asleep on public transportation, such as a bus or a train, then you might know what it feels like to wake up and literally not know where you are.

I suppose this is why a Japanese company known as Pyocotan has developed the “Noriko-san”. I have no idea what that translates to, but here is what the device is: a pair of goggles that have a digital readout to say where you are going.

That way, if you nod off on the bus, there will be a blazing electric sign saying something like “8th Street”, or wherever it is you are going. That way, if a fellow passenger sees that 8th street is coming up, he or she can gently wake you so you’ll get off at your stop.

An extra bonus is that the goggles create ideal napping conditions as they completely block out light. Hopefully you can audibly block out all the people who are making fun of you while you are sleeping with this ridiculous nightmask.

I can’t imagine why this would be a useful gadget, as it sounds quite silly to me, an American. I think there must be something in Japanese culture that says “you should wake up someone on the transit system who might miss their stop”. Americans are way too closed off.

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