‘Every country has good and bad sides’: Japanese woman living in Mumbai questions negative posts about India

A Japanese content creator living in Mumbai has questioned the tendency of social media posts to focus on India's negative aspects, saying her experience of living in the country has differed from the picture often presented online. In an Instagram video, Hikaru-san, who moved to India's financial capital eight months ago, shared her observations about daily life in Mumbai and explained why she wanted to showcase what she considers the country's positive side.

In the video titled “What I have realised since moving to India”, Hikaru-san said living in India had changed her perspective and encouraged her to show international audiences what she described as the country's beauty and appeal. She also stressed that her comments were based on her own experiences in Mumbai and might not reflect conditions across India's diverse regions.

“Perhaps it is difficult to understand what is good about a place until you actually live there. I live in Mumbai, and India is such a vast country. I think things can be completely different depending on the location. So, I am only talking about what I have experienced and felt while living in Mumbai,” she said.


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Japanese creator questions negative portrayal of India online

Hikaru-san said content appearing on social media often concentrates on poverty, unclean surroundings and other unfavourable aspects of India. However, she said she had not personally encountered many of the situations that online discussions frequently emphasise.

“I have never really encountered anyone strange or had any particularly unpleasant experiences. There are things that surprise me, of course, but they are really just little things. I have never experienced any of the things that people make such a big fuss about online. I suppose part of that is also because I have been living a safe life here,” she said.

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A post shared by インドのひかるさん🇮🇳 (@hikarusan.india)

The creator acknowledged that living in a new country can involve surprises but questioned the emphasis on negative experiences when discussing India with international audiences.

She also argued that no country can be understood solely through its shortcomings, adding that the same standard should apply to Japan.

‘Every country has its good and bad sides’

Hikaru-san said people should research a destination before travelling there, particularly to understand local conditions and know what to expect. However, she questioned the purpose of repeatedly highlighting a country's negative aspects simply to attract views.

“Every country has its good and bad sides. So, what is the point of highlighting the negative aspects of a country just to get views? Who does it make happy?” she said.

She added that she also looks up information about places before visiting them but pointed out that Japan, too, has areas with dirty surroundings.

Her comments centred on the difference between informing people about a destination's challenges and presenting only its unfavourable aspects for online attention. She maintained that her observations were specific to her life in Mumbai, rather than a general assessment of the entire country.

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Social media users respond to her remarks

The video attracted reactions from social media users, several of whom thanked Hikaru-san for sharing a positive account of her experience in India.

“Thank you very much for your kind words about India,” one user commented.

Another wrote, “India is indeed amazing. You just don't have to be absolutely broke.”

A third user offered a perspective on how India's large population might influence perceptions of crime or negative behaviour, arguing that even a small proportion of the population could represent a substantial number of people.

A fourth commenter alleged that negative online content and racism directed at India had increased over the previous one to two years. The user further claimed that China, Pakistan and Bangladesh were involved in a deliberate campaign, allegedly carried out largely by supporters of the MAGA movement in the United States. This was the commenter's allegation and was not independently verified.

The responses reflected a range of views on India's online image, while Hikaru-san's central point was that her experience of living in Mumbai had given her a different perspective from the one she often encountered on social media.