Nogoro Scarecrow Village, Iya Valley, Japan: Valley of the Dolls !

Mar., 2018, Nogoro Village, Iya Valley, Japan – Nagoro is a small Japanese village where Tsukimi Ayano, the local artist, has made a long time hobby of creating at least 400 stuffed dolls or “Kakashis” to replace all the citizens who have either died or left for bigger cities like Osaka or Tokyo. Everywhere you look, you see Kakashis involved in activities of some sort; a group waiting for the bus, working in the fields, sitting in a classroom, riding a bycycle or simply resting under a shady tree on a hot afternoon. The handmade dolls are attempts to fill the loneliness that exists in the dwindling village of Nagoro where there isn’t even a grocery store anymore.