The eerie place in Japan: the village where residents never leave

A feature article about Nagoro village in Japan, where artist Tsukimi Ayano has placed hundreds of dolls resembling former residents. The dolls, initially created as scarecrows, have turned the depopulating village into a tourist attraction. The article describes the visual phenomenon but offers no economic or demographic analysis.

A feature article about Nagoro village in the Iya Valley on Shikoku Island, Japan. Artist Tsukimi Ayano, who returned to the village in the early 2000s, began making scarecrows for her vegetable garden. The first doll, resembling her father, was so lifelike that neighbors thought it was a real person. Since then, Ayano has created over 350 dolls in the likeness of deceased or departed residents. The dolls are scattered throughout the village: at the bus stop, in the fields, and at the elementary school that closed in 2012. The village, once home to over 300 residents, now has only a few dozen living inhabitants. The phenomenon reflects a broader trend in Japan of depopulation of remote villages and an aging population. The dolls have turned the village into a well-known tourist destination. The article describes the visual appearance but offers no economic, demographic, or tourism analysis.