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IIT Hyderabad graduate goes viral with work culture comparison between India and Japan: ‘I just switch off my laptop’

The IIT Hyderabad graduate, now a Rakuten project manager, says she landed her job through campus placements and candidly compares Japan’s workplace expectations with those in India.

2 min readNew DelhiJan 14, 2026 04:54 PM IST

IIT Hyderabad graduate work culture Japan

Talking about work-life balance, she contrasts her experience in Japan with that of her friends in India

An Indian professional based in Japan has sparked online discussion after a video of her comparing work culture in the two countries went viral on Instagram.

In the clip, the woman, an IIT Hyderabad graduate, introduces herself as a project manager at Rakuten and says that she secured the role through campus placements. She then speaks candidly about how workplace expectations in Japan differ from what she has observed back home.

Talking about work-life balance, she contrasts her experience in Japan with that of her friends in India. “I have seen my friends there, and they attend calls at odd times,” she says, adding that in Japan, she is able to log off without pressure. “Here I can just switch off my laptop and I don’t need to respond after my work hours,” she explains, calling it one of the biggest positives of working there.

Watch the video:

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The conversation also turns to living costs in Tokyo. According to her, expenses can be managed if one is willing to share accommodation. “If you are on your own, and you are okay sharing with your friends, then around like Rs 1.5 lakh (264,655 yen) is enough for a month,” she says.

Her remarks have triggered divided reactions online. While several users agreed with her assessment of better boundaries between work and personal life, others pushed back on her estimate of monthly expenses.

One commenter wrote, “150,000 is not enough for a single person, it barely covers day-to-day expenses and leaves no room for future savings. Sadly, it just about meets expenses end to end.”

Another was more sceptical about her view of office culture, saying, “She is new to this culture soon she will know the real difference. Japan well known for their work culture and office bullying.”