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Nora KottmannNora Kottmann is a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Weber Foundation's German Institute for  Japanese Studies (DIJ) since September 2018. From 2008 to 2018 she has  been working at the Institute of Modern Japanese Studies at the  University of Düsseldorf. She there received her PHD with a study on the  meaning of marriage in times of declining marriage rates. Under the DIJ  research program “Risks and Opportunities in Japan”, she is currently  working on her research project (Re)Locating Intimacy – Spatial Perspectives on Personal Relationships in Contemporary Japan.  Main research interests include personal relationships, intimacy  (‘spaces of intimacy’), mobile and multi-local  biographies/relationships, expat communities, sociology of family, sociology of space, and methods in social science  research on Japan. How do you explain your current research project to your students?Generallyspeaking, I am interested in the interrelation of ‘intimacy’ and ‘space.’ In my current research project(Re)Locating Intimacy. SpatialPerspectives on Personal relationships in Contemporary Japan I askquestions like “Where do people ‘do’relationships?”, “Which influence do mobility, multi-locality, proximity,distance and other spatial factors have on relationships?” “Which spaces/placesare available, which are (possibly) newly created?”. My empirical focus is onunmarried individuals (25 – 49 years) in the greater Tokyo area. The backgroundof the research project is twofold: On the one hand, we have a public discourseon the emergence of a so called ‘Hyper-Solo-Society’ in Japan, as more and morepeople are getting married later on in life or not at all. On the other hand,mobility and multi-locality as well as, for example, hybrid spaces, areincreasingly defining individuals lives and relationship worlds. This isobviously not only the case in Japan. However, due to some contextual specificslike gender-segregated spaces, adultsstaying in their family home or a general spatial density, Japan (and especially Tokyo) canserve as a great case study. What were academic or personal inspirations that led to your current research?I wasalways interested in the question of how individuals live various forms ofpersonal relationships. During my PhD on the meaning of marriage for youngadults and their lives, I found some of my interviewees living diverserelationships ‘beyond’ marriage—in such situations, for example, as living in ashared house or having close friendships. This caught my interest and I wantedto pursue my research in this direction. At around the same time, I was able toparticipate in two workshops on ‘multi-locality’ and ‘space’ – topics that weretotally new to me at that time but that turned out to fit my research interestlike jigsaw pieces.How are you ‘doing’ research? What are your most important research methods?Imainly rely on interviews, (in)formal conversations and (participant)observations. Now in Tokyo, after many years at a German university, Icurrently very much enjoy the luxury of ‘constantly being in the field’ – Ispeak with friends, colleagues and strangers, watch TV, do a lot of (participant)observations, read newspapers, collect (and read/enjoy) topic-related magazinesand so on. Although my focus on qualitative methods will always continue, Iguess, as I am just fascinated by daily encounters, observations andindividuals’ stories, I am more and more convinced by mixed-methods approachesand respective research designs. In my case, besides using a variety ofqualitative data, I am currently planning to conduct a rather big survey (incollaboration with a research institute) to better frame and contextualize myqualitative data on the one hand and to establish possibilities for further comparisonon the other hand.Which publications or academic events did inspire you recently? There are alot! Besides the workshops mentioned above, I recently attended a talk byStevie Jackson on Globalizing/Deprovincializingthe critique of heterosexuality in Tokyo, which impressed me. With regardto books, Eva Illouz and her writings on love and capitalism had (and have) abig impact on me. Isabell Lorey’s works on precarization as well as therespective works of Lauren Berlant inspired me as well. Rather recently I“discovered” Berlant’s works on intimacy, love and sexuality, and I couldn’tstop reading. The same happened with MappingDesire (David Bell/Gill Valentine, 1995). And, last but not least, DoreenMassey’s publications on space continue to fascinate me. Do you think that academic mobility changes the way in which research projects are conceptualized? Mobilitydefinitely not only changes the way in which research projects are conceptualized,but also changes research questions, ideas, the way one ‘does’ research, and theresearcher her- or himself. It can blur boundaries between disciplines and academicbackgrounds, too. I myself found many new influences and was able to reframeand reconceptualize my research, to establish new collaborations and to sharpenmy arguments through discussions in various new environments. In short, mobilityopens new horizons on a personal as well as a professional level. However, onehas to be aware that mobility in academia is not always voluntary or by merechance. Rather, it is often based upon or induced by insecurity and precariousworking conditions. This definitively makes it less beneficial – especially if onehas kids, parents or friends to care for, or if one has a working partner.Having a safe base to come back to or good and long-term prospects for theprofessional future would enhance the benefits of mobility a lot.Citation: 5in10 with Nora Kottmann, in: TRAFO – Blog for  Transregional Research, 14.06.2019, https://trafo.hypotheses.org/18792. 