In this paper I argue that when a researcher is a research instrument, it is likely that the researcher would develop a heightened awareness of his/her own cultural conditioning, especially in the case of cross-cultural studies. And that such awareness would make him/her realise that one's own cultural background may indeed have an influence on formulating his/her research methodology. The paper is based on my own research project on development cooperation between Japan and Cambodia, whereby I examined the perceptions of Cambodians and Japanese on what an appropriate power relationship between donors and recipients should be. At the outset of my research project, I paid little attention to my own cultural condition and the role it might play in my study, though I was aware that being Japanese I was a cultural outsider in the context of the study. However, through the process of studying both Japanese and Cambodian cultures, I acquired a heightened sense of awareness of my own culture, with its roots in Buddhist and Confucius traditions. Such heightened awareness made me realise that my own culture had indeed played a role in shaping my research methodology.