You all know the story of Rip Van Winkle, who slept for 20 years. But how many of you know the story of Rip Van Twinkle, who stayed awake for 100 years?

Rip Van Twinkle was a "salaryman." He worked very hard every day. But sometimes, he had a hankering to work harder. In fact, he often sneaked out of his house at midnight to go to his company and put in a few extra hours. One night, when Rip was working in the wee hours, he felt drowsy, so he laid his head down on the desk and took a nap. He had a dream about Mount Fuji. When he awoke, he was as cold as snow, but he soon forgot about his dream and went back to work.

But ever since the dream, Rip couldn't sleep. He lay in bed every night, tossing and turning, but couldn't sleep a wink. Days went by and Rip didn't feel the slightest bit tired. He sat through company meetings that reached no consensus, he went out drinking and he sat for hours in hot springs, but still he couldn't sleep. He watched a noh play. Still he couldn't sleep.