The idea of moving to a more rural part of Japan came after a visit to a small village in Ehime Prefecture where a friend was doing research on a village on the edge of extinction. With just 14 permanent residents, the isolated mountain village was on an inevitable path.

After the trip, I reflected on experiences there and wrote an article. I found that local areas had some of the most interesting stories to tell and despite their circumstances, there was a vitality and closeness that I found appealing.

In 2023 I moved to the coastal town of Takahama with the aim of learning how to promote local areas of Japan and in the process to document.