Sideways Inertia

The opposite extreme to this is that of a low field of view, experienced most often by zoom lenses. In this case, the environment loses its context, resulting in a very focussed point of view. In this case, we may find a relationship between static sideways momentum and sleepiness. In the public train service in Japan , the passenger seats are usually oriented sideways to the direction of velocity (which functionally, being placed alongside the walls, allows for greater amounts of passengers inside). In this case of sideways speed perception, there is no perception of future or past kinaesthetics, that there is no direct external perception of where the train is going, or where it has been. All that exists is the kinaesthesia of realtime; of the current landscape being traversed. With the consistency of stimuli and lack of visual journey context (the direct direction of travel), together with the rocking G forces and low hum of the railway, it is no wonder that so many passengers in Japan fall asleep in trains. (Then again, this may also be a cultural phenomenon, where the train space is one of the only places of peace in such busy lifestyles.)