“I experienced racism two or three times in the past two years."
A growing number of Indians have moved to Japan in recent years, with many working in engineering, management, finance, and IT.
While settling in, Indian expatriates face cultural differences and language barriers, which can make daily life challenging.
Beyond language, food habits and social interactions also pose difficulties for many newcomers.
One Indian man recently shared his experiences of living in Japan, shedding light on both cultural adjustments and incidents of racism.
Filming for his channel Riki with Japan Mates, a vlogger asked the Indian man:
“How is it living in Japan as an Indian?”
The man, Nikhil Tripathi, is a video creator living in Japan. He first spoke about food challenges before mentioning instances of discrimination:
“Many Indians don’t eat pork or beef and quite a few are strictly vegetarian.
“And since they can eat chicken or other meats, they have to cook for themselves to survive. We often just end up eating Kappa Maki (cucumber rolls).”
For many Indian expatriates, access to traditional Indian food is limited. Restaurants offering vegetarian options are scarce, forcing individuals to rely on home cooking.
Even those who eat non-vegetarian food find it difficult to access familiar spices and flavours, making the adjustment process even harder.
Nikhil went on to describe his experiences with racism in Japan.
He said: “I experienced racism two or three times in the past two years.
“Some random old guy started picking a fight with me. Another guy purposely bumped into my shoulders.”
Recalling one incident on public transport, Nikhil said:
“Once on the train, I was not even talking, but a group of high school girls were loudly laughing.”
“Though I didn’t say anything to them, one of them told me to shut up. I’m the type of person who can’t let things like that slide. ‘Oh, are you being racist right now?’ — I just said it straight on their face.”
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The video sparked discussion online, with several users sharing similar experiences.
One person commented: “Had the same experience, bumped hard into my shoulder at least three times and being yelled at in the street by a racist remark.”
Another added: “I’m also an Indian living in Japan. I know how you feel brother.”
Some users reflected on broader societal issues as one explained:
“No matter where you go, racism exists. Good people are there too.”
Another user expressed concern over food options, saying: “Being a vegetarian, she wouldn’t be able to survive in Japan.”
The video has gained over 500,000 views and more than 22,000 likes, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by Indian expats in Japan.
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