Paul Christie cuts a relaxed figure as he tunes into our interview from his home on the Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita Prefecture. A farmer, businessman and tourism ambassador who has spent the past 16 years working on a rural regeneration project in his adopted hometown, Christie exudes the infectious air of someone who loves what they do for a living.
¡°Somebody asked me in a bar last night if I had any hobbies,¡± Christie tells me. ¡°And I said, ¡®No, I don¡¯t. My life is my hobby.¡¯ I¡¯m just invigorated by what I do and the people I get to work and share things with. I don¡¯t need anything else.¡±
Christie¡¯s work varies by the day. He might cultivate crops in the arable farmlands of Ota Village, turn empty properties into guesthouses or office spaces, or brainstorm new ideas for , a tour company focusing on chih¨ saisei (regional revitalization) at which he is CEO.
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