Psychological investigation of intercultural communication between domestic emigrants and local residents

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Recently, Okinawa (Ryukyus), the southernmost prefecture of Japan, has become one of the country's most popular transmigration and tourist sites. This study investigates the motivations of Japanese emigrants to Okinawa and the relationship between their motivations and their adjustment to Okinawa. Participants were 26 interviewees and 412 online questionnaire respondents.Based on the results of the surveys and interviews, participants'motivations for moving were categorized into four main groups: a) migration for business or study, b) migration to accompany someone else, c) migration to escape, and d) migration after retirement. These patterns are plotted on two axes, wherein migration is either voluntary or involuntary and the purpose of migration is either concrete or abstract. The results also suggested that emigrants with concrete objectives tend to experience poorer adjustment after immigration to Okinawa than those who moved for abstract reasons.