Photo/Illutration Students raise their hands in the classroom on Aug. 18, the first day of the autumn term, at Midori Elementary School in Sapporo’s Toyohira Ward. (Kengo Hiyoshi)

With the novel coronavirus pandemic still raging, the autumn term has already started in late August at schools in some parts of Japan, although the summer holiday is being extended in other areas.

This is perhaps a cause for concern among many parents who don't want their children's daily routine being disrupted more than in any normal year.

That said, here are some research findings they may find relevant.

Masako Ohira, 38, a professor at Shiga University, led a study to find out what tone of voice will wake sleeping children the fastest.

One summer holiday, Ohira and her team invited 13 elementary school students to their lab, asking them, one by one, to take a nap.

After checking the child's brainwave to confirm they were in a deep sleep, the researchers waited for five minutes. They then played three sounds for the same duration to compare the time each took to wake the subject.

An electronic beep took an average of 310 seconds to wake the youngsters.

But the average shrank to 31 seconds when each child heard their own mother's pre-recorded voice and to 26 seconds if the voice was that of a woman they didn't know.

The difference between these last two numbers fell within the statistical margin of error.

Who would have thought how ineffective the "trusty" alarm clock could be?

"We learned that the human voice packs a greater punch than a non-human sound and that calling the person's name worked better than just the human voice," Ohira noted.

Whether the voice is that of the child's father or of a voice actor, Ohira anticipates the same outcome.

Japanese children have long been considered "night owls" compared to their peers overseas. Kids who struggle with drowsiness in the classroom are not rare. One survey even found that one in five suffer from sleep disorders.

Ohira let me listen to the voices of mothers used in the experiment, calling out the names of their children. "Ryota, Ryota," went one. And another, "Hono-chan, Hono-chan."

But every mother was asked to refrain from letting loose her usual outburst of exasperation, such as, "Are you ever going to wake up?" or "Enough. Just get out of bed!"

So, here's my two cents to all parents out there: There's no need for nagging in the morning.

Just calling out your kid's name over and over should be sufficient. It works 10 times better than the electronic beep of the alarm clock.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 25

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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