‘No weekend calls, only bonuses’: Indian’s take on Japan’s work culture goes viral

New DelhiJul 18, 2026 05:51 PM IST Pandey also poked fun at the way overtime works in Japan, saying that getting approval for extra hours is not easyAn Indian living in Japan has gone viral after sharing a tongue-in-cheek video poking fun at the country’s employee-friendly work culture. In the clip, he sarcastically lists benefits such as hybrid work, paid overtime, weekends off, and hefty bonuses as the reasons he is “tired” of working there. The man, Ajay Pandey, posted the video on Instagram, reflecting on his 11 years of working in Japan.“It has been so many years since I moved here, and honestly, working in Japan is extremely difficult. I find the work culture here absolutely terrible. I have to go to the office only three days a week and work from home for the remaining two. There is no overtime on weekends either, so I am forced to spend my time going camping or on bike rides,” Pandey said. He continued the joke by saying his biggest complaint was that his manager never disturbed him on his days off. “I am genuinely annoyed with my manager because he never calls me or thinks of me on weekends. For the past 11 years, he has been friend-zoning me every weekend. At least call me to work once in a while. Every weekend is wasted like this,” he added. Pandey also poked fun at the way overtime works in Japan, saying that getting approval for extra hours is not easy—but once it is approved, employees are compensated for every 15 minutes they work. “Even when I request overtime, it is approved only with great difficulty, and when they finally approve it, they pay me for every 15 minutes I work,” he said. Watch the video: Story continues below this ad The content creator also drew a humorous comparison between workplace bonuses in Japan and the Diwali gifts commonly given by some employers in India. “There is no proper Diwali bonus here either—not even a box of laddoos or a pen. Instead, they simply throw two or three months’ salary at you as a bonus. Honestly, I am completely fed up with working in Japan,” he concluded. The sarcastic video struck a chord with social media users, who quickly joined in on the joke. One user wrote, “Bro is suffering from success.” Another commented, “Trust me this reel is not about Japan.” A third person wrote, “You are living my dream life bro… Meri bucket list me name hai..japan ka (Japan is on my bucket list, bro)”. Another user added, “Mujhe bhi hona he pareshan (I also want to be this troubled)”.