At 65, Ayano is considered young by Nagoro standards; her 85-year-old father is the oldest resident. The 160 or so dolls dotted around the village dwarf the human population, which has fallen from about 300 when she was a child to just 35 today. There are another 200 or so dolls in nearby villages that, like Nagoro, have seen their populations plunge in recent decades.
“They bring back memories, particularly those based on people who have died,” Ayano said of the dolls, whose forms fill the spaces vacated by their human counterparts – checking produce at a vegetable stall, resting against a tree or waiting at the bus stop to travel to the nearest big town, 90 minutes away.
She recalled the old lady who used to come round for tea, and the old man who liked to drink sake and tell stories. “I look at them and think about their personalities,” she told the Guardian. “Some are still alive but no longer live here, so I just hope that they’re doing well.”
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