Studying the Changing Ethnoscape in Contemporary Japan: A Visual Ethnography of Nepali immigrants in Japan in the Age of COVID-19.

我采用视觉人种学方法，以摄像机为主要研究工具，在日本和尼泊尔进行了实地考察，记录了在日本的尼泊尔移民及其在尼泊尔的家庭。我在日本的研究主要集中在东京，而在尼泊尔，我在Galkot村、Baglung区、Dolakha区和加德满都进行了实地调查。透过30多个小时的视听镜头，我特别检视目前尼泊尔家庭移民日本的趋势，并找出这一现象的原因、过程和社会后果。此外，我的初步研究数据强调了COVID-19大流行对日本尼泊尔移民状况的重大影响。特别是，许多尼泊尔厨师失去了工作，因为餐馆是受疫情影响最严重的行业之一。

Using a visual ethnographic approach with a video camera as my primary research tool, I conducted fieldwork in Japan and Nepal to document Nepali immigrants in Japan as well as their families in Nepal. My research in Japan was focused on Tokyo, while in Nepal I conducted fieldwork in Galkot village, Baglung District, Dolakha District, and Kathmandu. Through over 30 hours of audio-visual footage, I specifically examined the current trend of Nepali family migration to Japan and identified the causes, processes, and social consequences of this phenomenon. Additionally, my preliminary research data highlights the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the situation of Nepali immigrants in Japan. Particularly, many Nepali cooks have lost their jobs as restaurants have been among the hardest-hit businesses in Japan due to the pandemic.