Nagoro, Tourist village in Iya Valley, Japan
The small village in the Iya Valley consists of traditional wooden houses distributed along a narrow mountain road where over 350 handcrafted fabric dolls are arranged in everyday scenes. The figures sit on benches, stand in doorways, work in rice paddies, and populate the abandoned school building with its empty classrooms. Each doll wears individually designed clothing and facial features representing specific former residents.
The community once housed 300 residents but shrank to 27 people by 2019 due to migration and aging. Local artist Tsukimi Ayano began making the dolls in 2003 after returning to her home village, initially creating a scarecrow of her deceased father. She has since produced hundreds of additional figures representing people from different generations who once lived in the houses and streets.
The life-sized dolls serve as reminders of residents who left or died, maintaining their presence in the community's daily life. Locals view the installation as honoring their history and bearing witness to social changes in rural Japanese areas. The dolls are regularly repositioned or dressed in new clothing to keep the connection between past and present alive.
The site is located in Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku Island, reached via a winding mountain road from Nagoro Dam. The area has limited public transportation, so a car is recommended. The dolls can be viewed year-round free of charge, with visitors free to walk through the village streets and explore installations in various buildings.
The handmade figures outnumber living residents by more than ten times, creating an unusual outdoor museum documenting demographic change. Tsukimi Ayano regularly repairs and updates the dolls, adjusting them for changing seasons by adding winter coats or rainwear. Some figures are named after their original counterparts and positioned in locations where those people most frequently spent time.
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