Tokyo has a rescue bus for drunk people who fall asleep on the last train home

In Japan, it is a mark of diligence to nap in public, but it’s far less dignified to fall asleep on the train and miss your stop after a night on the beers.

Thankfully, Tokyo’s transport chiefs have chartered a unique bus service to help Christmas party-goers get home safe even when they’re too drunk to stay awake.

Every Christmas for the past four years, the rescue-bus has been ferrying fatigued revellers in their hour of need.

The Nishi Tokyo Bus company, which operates the ‘oversleeping rescue bus’ service, runs for three weekends during the height of end-of-year festivities in December.

It takes drunken passengers who have fallen asleep to the end of their train line back towards the city, according to Rocketnews24.

The bus will be sit at the end of the region’s JR Chuo train line, which connects Tokyo’s city centre with the western suburbs.

The service will provide a lifeline for anyone who wakes up to find themselves in Takao — a mountainous region just over 30 miles from Tokyo with poor transport links and few hotels.

From there, the bus will travel to Hachiojo, a more developed neighbourhood where passengers will find it easier to book a taxi or pay for a hotel room for the night.

The service will launch just in-time for Japan’s notoriously busy company Christmas party season, called “Bōnenkai” in Japanese.