When Hitomi Niwa, a 28-year-old nurse at a Tokyo hospital, felt overwhelmed by her profession, she chatted with the proprietor of a curry restaurant near her home in Nakano Ward. The proprietor owned a property in Yokoze, Saitama Prefecture, and split his time between the town and the capital. He told Niwa about Yokoze’s openness to newcomers, which resonated with her love of nature. This chance conversation in 2022 set her on a path toward relocating to the rural town.