Artist Tsukimi Ayano has made at least 400 dolls to repopulate the dwindling village of Nagoro.
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The streets in the tiny village of Nagoro , Japan are far from bustle . In fact , things are remarkably still . Then , through the corner of your eye , you see a figure — then a mathematical group of figures huddled together .
Then you realize they ’re everywhere you await .
Handmade dolls sit in a village meeting room in Nagoro, Japan. The dolls were made by local resident Tsukimi Ayano to replace the dwindling local population.
But these are n’t multitude . They ’re actually life - size wench — and they make up most of Nagoro ’s universe . The dolls outnumber humans by a ratio of more than ten to one .
The handmade dolls are one woman ’s attack to satisfy the solitariness that exist in Nagoro . This little village becomes increasingly null of people as time goes on . The elderly pass away and the young people leave for urban center job . Not even a local grocery store remains open .
The village , also calledKakashi No Sato , or Scarecrow Village , is not unlike other rural area in Japan facing this depopulation trend . Since 2010 , the land haslost about 1.4 million of its people — and it ’s give birth a major impact on both the saving and smart set .
However , here in Nagoro , it ’s like no one has entrust ; each wench seems to contain the soul of a depart villager . A local officialtold one touristthat " the fig have even been added to the census records of the Greenwich Village , with detail verbal description of each figure . "
In this way , it really does seem like the doll have a larger - than - life front in the village of Nagoro .
KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP via Getty ImagesSeveral dolls sit down lined up on a work bench .
Tsukimi Ayano: Creator Of The Dolls
In 2001 , former resident Tsukimi Ayano returned home to Nagoro after spending much of her life in Japan ’s third - largest city , Osaka .
She see the village of 300 occupier she get up in had dwindled down to only 30 . She felt sadden that many of the residents had leave or passed away .
The inspiration for creating life - size bird to make full the town total to her by accident . Ayano first fashion a scarer for her vegetable garden and playfully made it in the range of her father .
He did n’t mind , " But all the neighbors thought because the bird-scarer was wearing his clothes and look like him that he was out produce very early in the good morning , " Ayanosays .
" They would sometimes say , ' Good morning , you ’re up working very early . ' It just set forth up a conversation between the scarecrow and the neighbour . "
The residents enjoyed the whimsy of her scarer , so she kept making them — get a line more skills along the room . face with the departure the townsfolk experience , Ayano decided to craft them in the image of gone or deceased villagers .
She has now made over 400 dolls .
Ayano make the skirt from straw , fabric , newspapers , and quondam clothes . She is always making new ones to replace older figures that wear out out from being disclose to the elements .
She say the mouths are the voiceless part ; the lips are the Francis Scott Key to make believe many expressions come along realistic .
The Dolls Of Nagoro, Japan
doll can be found almost everywhere in townsfolk . Waiting at bus stops , farming , and just hang out . Some are even attending a wedding for a twain of dolls in traditional garb .
However , most are located along the wayside where they serve to attract visitant . Thanks to Google Earth , you could actuallytake a virtual tourthrough Nagoro ’s main street and see them for yourself .
There are nowhundreds of the hand-crafted doll , repopulating Nagoro ’s nooks and chap . They have become a tourist attraction , revitalize the town in their own mode .
But not all the figures are visible from the road . The local primary school closed in 2012 , so Ayano populated it with fry - like doll , as well as stave . Now , the once - abandoned school is home to bookman anxiously waiting for class to originate .
In one schoolroom , two lone dolly sit at desks , lay out the last two students who attended the school day before it shutter .
" These two little scarer , the tike made those themselves during their home political economy class , " Ayano said . " And then they put the clothes they wore back then on the figure before they left the school . "
The current resident bask the figures and seemsomewhat annoyedthat visitors sometimes think they ’re creepy .
That do pure sense if you remember that lots of the doll are based on existent residents . However , any creepiness that does subsist comes mainly from the way the dolls seem to take over in the motionlessness of mostly abandoned Nagoro .
Another visitorcommented thatit ’s " easy to think the life - sized dolls are existent … we still did some two-fold return ( like with the wayside telephone set rod repair crew ' work ' on a ladder ) . "
These offbeat dolls have put Nagoro on the map . Some foreign visitant attempt out Ayano on their own — like a young tourer from Poland — and it does n’t enervate her . This visitor say , " I just really want to come … It is dead wonderful . I ca n’t stop smiling . "
Next , ensure out theseeerie photograph of vintage dolly and the factories that made them . Then , take a look at thesephotos of the Japanese island contract over by ferine Arabian tea .
KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty ImagesSeveral dolls sit lined up on a bench.
