I moved to the smallest city in Japan.

With a population of about 2,600, Utashinai is the smallest city in Japan.
It has been almost a year since I moved to Utashinai, my husband's hometown.
As for where I moved from, it was São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city on the South American continent.
From the largest to the smallest. From the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere. The seasons are completely opposite, and so are the day and night.
From a subtropical region with no snow to the Sorachi region of Hokkaido, an area with heavy snowfall.
It will likely take a little more time for my mind and body to get used to a place where everything is the complete opposite, but Utashinai, this small city, is much more comfortable than I had imagined.
This was a surprise.

When I was in São Paulo eating wild papayas and avocados, I saw an internet article about Utashinai City being interviewed by the media as the "number one city at risk of disappearing," which was not a very happy topic. However, living here in reality, it feels as comfortable as a vacation home area.
It takes about an hour by car to Sapporo. It takes less than an hour to Asahikawa City. As long as you have a car, shopping and commuting to neighboring cities and towns are a breeze.

Surrounded by mountains like a hidden village, it is quiet, and every morning when I open the window, I see scenery that makes me think, "Is this Karuizawa?" There is a ski resort right nearby, with fine lodges and "Tyrolean-style" accommodations. For those who enjoy skiing or snowboarding, powder snow that makes you ask, "Is this Switzerland?" is waiting.
You never know until you actually live somewhere.

As a town that once flourished with coal mining, the spirit of mutual aid among the mining families, known as "one mountain, one family," and the lack of prejudice toward outsiders (which I certainly am) are also important factors for immigrants.

Now, Utashinai City has begun to incorporate "Tantetsuko" (a collective term for activities utilizing the remains of coal mines, railways, steel, and ports) into the revitalization of the town, finding new value in the remains of those coal mines.
The "Former Kami-Uta Hall (Kobetsu Roman-za)," built 72 years ago as a coal mine entertainment facility (an existing early work by the maverick architect and outstanding modern architect Yoji Watanabe!), is scheduled to be certified as a component of a "Japan Heritage" site soon, making it an attractive town for architecture enthusiasts and those who love visiting old ruins.
Lately, people in Utashinai have started saying to me, "You seem like someone who has been living in Utashinai for about 10 years already."
Maybe this is what it means to feel right at home.