Her research and teaching interests include intercultural communication, media, and the globalization of popular culture. When she came to Hong Kong in 1997 having grown up in Kawasaki and spent a decade in Washington, D.C., she was struck by one thing: the proliferation of things Japanese and, especially, the deep affection middle-aged and older people held for their made-in-Japan rice cookers. So she conducted oral history interviews with users, distributors and makers of rice cookers in Hong Kong and Japan, uncovering a story of globalization and innovation in which Hong Kong played a major role. The results were published in her 2009 book, Where There Are Asians, There Are Rice Cookers: How "National" Went Global via Hong Kong.