When scarecrows worked too well: Nagoro, the Valley of Dolls - Japan's face of depopulation

When Indians travel in packed trains, y often dream of a deserted haven, where wind howls down deserted streets, without a living soul in sight.

Such a place exists.

In Japan is a tiny vill called Nagoro over as it is famously kwn - Valley of Dolls, 550 km southwest of Tokyo, where t many humans inhabit yet street appear busy.

reason - life-size dolls crowd se deserted streets outnumbering living by ten to one.

se dolls are a one-woman effort to battle empty and lonely shell of society in Nagoro, which is struggling with depopulation like many or Japenese vills.

place gained its reputation as Valley of Dolls after 69-year old dollmaker, Tsukimi Aya, began placing scarecrows on street,16 years ago, to 'inject some life' into deserted vill.

Speaking to news ncy nce France-Press (AFP), she said," Only 27 people live in this vill but number of scarecrows is tenfold, like 270."

whole scarecrow saga began when Aya created a scarecrow and dressed it up in her far's clos to shoo away crows from her garden. People passing by h presumed that doll was her far.

"A worker who saw it in garden thought it was really my far and said hello...," recalled Aya.

Since debut of her 'far-figure' Aya has continued creating se life-size dolls with bodies of wooden sticks and newspapers, hair me of knitting wool and elastic fabric for skin.

While Nagaro was always, sparsely populated Aya recalls her childhood when re were 300 residents and labourers due to forestry industry and dam construction work.

Nagaro reflects plight of entire Japan which while being world's third-largest ecomy, is currently battling declining population, low birth rate, and high life expectancy. It is on brink of becoming world's first 'ultra-d' country i.e. 28% of people are d 65 years or above.

While people have t returned to Nagoro, Aya's dolls are certainly catching eye of international media which she hopes would bring tourists to visit Valley of Dolls.