‘Dead bugs, mosquito bites’: Japanese student’s week at IIT Hyderabad goes viral

Hiro, who says she is the first Japanese student at IIT Hyderabad, posted an Instagram video detailing the highs and lows of her arrival in the country.

3 min readNew DelhiAug 1, 2026 06:05 PM IST

Hiro said she developed a severe allergic reaction, found dead bugs on her mattress, and was left with multiple mosquito bites.

Many Indians who have moved to Japan for work or studies often share their experiences of adapting to life there. This time, however, it was a Japanese student documenting her first week in India that caught the internet’s attention. Hiro, who says she is the first Japanese student at IIT Hyderabad, posted an Instagram video detailing the highs and lows of her arrival in the country.

The video opens with the overlay text, “POV: You are the first Japanese student at IIT Hyderabad,” as Hiro shows her boarding pass and visa before flying to India. She reveals that her journey did not begin smoothly, with a flight delay that was eventually made easier thanks to lounge access. Once she reached the campus, her excitement was evident. “I was so excited,” she wrote, before adding, “Warm welcome from the IR cell.”

The International Relations (IR) Cell at IIT Hyderabad is responsible for handling international admissions, student and faculty exchange programmes, and collaborations with institutions around the world.

Although her first impressions of the campus were positive, things soon took an unexpected turn. “Everything looked perfect,” Hiro wrote, before listing a series of problems she encountered. “Spent my first night sleeping on a wooden board, broken shelf, broken curtain rail, broken door lock”, she said.

Her difficulties did not end there. Hiro said she developed a severe allergic reaction, found dead bugs on her mattress, and was left with multiple mosquito bites. The health issues eventually resulted in her “first hospital visit” in India.

She concluded the video by saying that a second part, covering what happened next, will be uploaded soon.

Watch the video:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hiro (@iit_hiro820)

The clip, shared on Instagram by Hiro, has since gone viral, with many users expressing sympathy and urging the institute to improve hostel conditions.

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“Get well soon! Adjusting to a new climate can be tough, especially with mosquitoes and insects. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Don’t worry—IIT Hyderabad will take good care of you. Stay strong!” one user commented.

Another wrote, “So sorry you have to suffer like this. IIT’s are India’s best colleges and government really needs to work on these things. Hope you recover soon, prayers from up.”

“That’s really not good for a first time experience, Recover soon, Hope IIT’s see this and make improve their hostel hygiene,” read another comment.

A fourth user remarked, “This is the situation in top college of the country. Imagine what happens in tier 2 and tier 3 colleges.”

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