This is the 1328th most frequent Japanese word.
里
"里" (さと) - Village; countryside; hometown.
The word '里' is used to refer to a rural area or village in this sentence.
里の風景は美しいです。
The scenery of the village is beautiful.
Here, '里帰り' uses '里' to indicate returning to one's hometown or parents' home.
古い友人を里帰りの時に訪ねます。
I visit old friends when returning to my hometown.
'里' is employed to describe a natural and rural area where someone was raised.