A popular Japanese YouTuber who goes by the name of Ikechan has come under fire this week after commenting about the number of Indians… on a flight to India. Over the weekend, she shared her latest vlog on X with the caption, “Taking the notoriously bad Air India for my first-ever trip to India!! The plane is packed with Indians.”
Image: Ikechan (via X)
Japanese Netizens Apologize on Behalf of Ikechan
The tweet, which has garnered more than 22 million views, has been heavily criticized, including from Japanese people who have apologized on behalf of Ikechan. “As a Japanese person, I’m sorry. This doesn’t represent us — it’s just attention-seeking,” posted one user on X. Another wrote, “Even in Japan, racism and xenophobia are rampant for the sake of making money and gaining impressions. We will continue to speak out against these problems in Japan.”
Ikechan sparked further controversy by referencing last year’s Air India crash in the thumbnail, along with the words, “worst reputation.” She was accused of trivializing the tragedy, and subsequently removed the captions in a follow-up post.
She wrote, “I didn’t have any particularly strong intentions, so I made a slight change to the text on the thumbnail that was pointed out! I always put a lot of effort into making these videos, so I’d appreciate it if you watched the whole thing instead of just bits and pieces! I make them in the hope that if you watch it all the way through, you’ll get a sense of that country’s charm.”
Images: Ikechan
From the ‘World’s Dirtiest’ to a ‘Country I Love So Much’
At the start of the vlog, before departing, Ikechan described India as “without doubt the world’s dirtiest country.” She also expressed her concerns about the food and the flight, but the 10-hour journey seemed to go smoothly, and she was quite impressed by the dishes she received. She has since posted, “My first time in India, I met up with a local guide and toured safely! There were so many great spots, so I’m turning them into videos. It’s a fun country I love so much!”
