With a population of just under 30,000, the ski resort town of Myoko, Niigata Prefecture, might seem like an unlikely home base for a cultural bridge-builder. As foreign investment brings more tourists and transplants, however, Nina Otsubo Cataldo sees a prime opportunity to put her skills and background to use.
Cataldo, 33, runs a consulting business called My Myoko that serves two complementary populations: new foreign arrivals just getting to know the community and local Japanese residents adjusting to the internationalization and diversification of the area.
Raised between Oregon and Tokyo, Cataldo began her professional life in Tokyo as a travel writer and consultant. In 2022, she relocated to the U.K. to pursue a master’s in cultural anthropology at the University of London, focusing on rural revitalization in Japan.
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