Hiroko Okamoto
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Contact Details
Department of Geography
King's College London
4th Floor
King's Building
Strand
London
WC2R 2LS
Email: hiroko.okamoto@kcl.ac.uk
King's College London
4th Floor
King's Building
Strand
London
WC2R 2LS
Email: hiroko.okamoto@kcl.ac.uk
Research
Globalization, social capital, international skilled expatriates and social networks: Research into the vertical and horizontal social networks created by Japanese skilled expatriates in London
This research focuses on a specific aspect of globalization: International migration and development of the social networks of international migrants in a cross-cultural setting. It is well known that some migrants can find it difficult to adjust to life in another city or society and this research focuses on Japanese in London.
To complete this research, social networks would be analysing as a key to unravelling the complexity of globalization and realizing the concept of social capital in the cross-cultural context. Through these phenomena, Japanese corporate movers will discuss; how they develop their social networks and what kind of social capital they require.
A variety of theoretical perspective have been explored to date and at present the research is focusing on the concept of social capital and its role in analysing the cultural adjustment of expatriates, particularly the Japanese in London.
This research is useful for not only Japanese corporate movers but also all expatriates, who face similar problems of finding accommodation, finding friends and linking into local culture when they start a new life in a different culture where the mother tongue is different. This research will attempt to answer some of these questions. The research is both quantitative and qualitative: 100 questionnaire surveys and 25 in depth interviews have been conducted to date.
This research focuses on a specific aspect of globalization: International migration and development of the social networks of international migrants in a cross-cultural setting. It is well known that some migrants can find it difficult to adjust to life in another city or society and this research focuses on Japanese in London.
To complete this research, social networks would be analysing as a key to unravelling the complexity of globalization and realizing the concept of social capital in the cross-cultural context. Through these phenomena, Japanese corporate movers will discuss; how they develop their social networks and what kind of social capital they require.
A variety of theoretical perspective have been explored to date and at present the research is focusing on the concept of social capital and its role in analysing the cultural adjustment of expatriates, particularly the Japanese in London.
This research is useful for not only Japanese corporate movers but also all expatriates, who face similar problems of finding accommodation, finding friends and linking into local culture when they start a new life in a different culture where the mother tongue is different. This research will attempt to answer some of these questions. The research is both quantitative and qualitative: 100 questionnaire surveys and 25 in depth interviews have been conducted to date.
Biography
Hiroko Okamoto was born in Tokyo, Japan. She was educated in Japan and gained an MA Cities, Culture and Social Change from King’s College London in 2001. She started her MPhil/PhD in 2001, but interrupted her studies between 2004-2005. She also holds three subjects of teacher’s license in Japan and the certification of Japanese language teacher.
Teaching Experience
I have taught people who wish to be a Japanese language teacher at the Alpha Language Institute London:including subjects of “cross-cultural analysis”, “current affairs and globalization”, “Education of Japanese language” and “Conceptualizing Japanese language”.
