Man says Indians in ‘chawls’ are happier than in Japan’s ‘perfect society’, sparks debate: ‘Stop glorifying our poverty’

The user, who recently visited Tokyo, said he was struck by how the city had “every luxury imaginable of a first-world country.” Yet, something felt missing. “Trains are on time, food is cheap, countless parks, many forms of entertainment – but people are just working like machines,” he observed, noting that despite the efficiency and order, “many are so lonely they haven’t had human interaction in months and years.” In his view, the cost of Japan’s “perfect society” was that people were “slogging it out without any hope or ambition.”

By contrast, he said, India’s imperfections didn’t seem to stop people from being joyful. “In India, you can see kids playing, aunties hanging out, or people chatting. People don’t tie their happiness to purely material well-being,” he wrote, adding that foreigners often notice how even those with very little “find joy and happiness in their simple lives.” He ended his post with the line, “Happiness is indeed a state of mind.”

Check out the post:

I know this feels counterintuitive given bad roads, crazy traffic, crowded trains and long working hours.

But at the risk of being hated for this opinion – let me give it a shot.

I was in Tokyo earlier this year – it has every luxury imaginable of a first world country – yet… https://t.co/xCNWk0CZQJ

— Hardik Rajgor (@Hardism) November 7, 2025

The post struck a chord with many and inspired a wave of responses. One user recalled meeting a French filmmaker years ago who said he’d “never experienced such warmth, smiles and happiness amidst squalor and poverty.”

Another person commented, “Astute observation. A common theme that I see in instagram posts by foreigners who have spent some time in India, and who aren’t looking for poverty porn, is the reference to the warmth and helpfulness of the people. And it applies especially for those who have very little. They are amazed by simple things as people smiling at you or simply nodding their head in acknowledgement without speaking a word and without knowing you. How kids are a weak spot for almost all Indians. Complete strangers would play with their babies or give them gifts or something to eat. Indians advising them of areas or instances where they might get scammed. People in far flung and remote areas opening their doors and offering food to weary travelers If you wish to see, there is something absolutely beautiful about us as a whole nation.”

A third person, who didn’t align with the idea, wrote, “When are we going to stop glorifying our poverty and lack of decent living conditions? Make this make sense dude.”

One X user wrote, “There is a cultural factor here. Japanese dont’ show their emotions as easily as Indians. Indians wear their opinions and emotions on their sleeves. Not true for a lot of East Asia.”