About the Author

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Nagiko Shimooka

Completed the Master’s Program in Global Studies Courses at GPGS (Graduate Program in Global Studies), Sophia University, in March 2025.

My research is situated within sociology, focusing on neighborhood and public spaces, as well as on the people who create and make use of them, primarily through fieldwork-based approaches.

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Previous Research Topics

 

• “Nishiogiology”

          Conducted interviews with owners of restaurants and retail shops in Nishi-Ogikubo, Tokyo, to explore the question, “What makes Nishi-Ogikubo a ‘good neighborhood’?”, and analyzed the distinctive characteristics of the local community.

　　Webpage: https://www.nishiogiology.org/

• “Miyashita Park and Youth Specific Spaces”

          Investigated, through fieldwork, why young people gather on the rooftop of Miyashita Park, examining what factors allow the space to function as a “space for young people.”

　　Webpage: https://tokyourbanethnolab.wixstudio.com/miyashita-park/blank-1

• “Migrant-Run Restaurants as Intercultural Third Places”

          Conducted fieldwork at a Dutch restaurant in Tokyo to examine the social functions of migrant-run restaurants as “third places,” and to analyze how intercultural interactions are cultivated within these spaces.

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