What is special about Nagoro? Tiny 'Cursed Village' holds a Halloween-worthy secret
NAGORO, JAPAN: Japan will reopen its borders to tourists in October after keeping them shut for years to stop the spread of Covid-19. Tourists from all around the world will be rejoicing and looking forward to booking their holidays to this beautiful and vibrant country. However, there is another side to the nation that is ideal for giving yourself the shivers this Halloween, a side which is completely different from the bright lights of Tokyo or Osaka.
In the village of Nagoro, many locals can be seen walking to the stores, working in the fields, or observing the passing traffic. Although it seems to be a bustling village, they are actually scarecrows and not people.
READ MORE
'The Watcher' on Netflix: The chilling real-life story behind new terrifying horror series
'The Midnight Club' on Netflix: Fans hooked to horror-mystery series, call it a 'masterpiece'
The 350 life-size scarecrows that make up the "Cursed Village," as it is known, might easily pass for actual people. They even outnumber real people in the village about 10 to one. Although the scarecrows aren't meant to be frightening, it can be disconcerting to be in a village full of life-size dolls. One can get feelings of "uncanny valley" when they come across the "residents" all across the town. The local school has classrooms full of pretend students and teachers.
Scarecrows congregate along bus stops or on building porches while "farmers" toil in the fields. Some of the other attractions include dolls dancing together at a party and hard hat-wearing construction workers taking a breather air next to an abandoned home. The "Scarecrow Mother," a craftswoman by the name of Tsukimi Ayano, is responsible for the bizarre and amazing works of art. Tsukimi was born in Nagoro but later left the city before coming back in 2002.
When she returned, she discovered that most people had moved out to work in the city and the population had been steadily declining as older people died. It was anticipated that less than 30 people were still living in the community in 2019, as per the Daily Star. Tsukimi started making life-size dolls of the citizens to fill the town's streets and surrounding countryside in order to give the impression that it was bustling. For instance, despite the primary school's closure, you may still find children and instructors engaged in classes in its classrooms today. She also produced a few dolls in memory of residents who had died. Every fall, the community holds a scarecrow festival that includes a picture contest (the winner gets their own scarecrow) and scarecrow-making classes.
Each life-size doll, according to Tsukimi, takes her around three days to create. The dolls are made from a variety of materials, including newspapers, cotton, buttons, wires, paint, and a variety of other items. They are then clothed in worn clothing. Ayano, who is elderly herself, creates and maintains these dolls, occasionally changing or constructing new ones.
The town has gained popularity with foreign tourists who have started going to the village in increasing numbers in recent years to view the dolls, despite its original intention to not be a tourist destination. Visitors haven't been put off by the village's accessibility problems because of its secluded position in the Tokushima Prefecture's Iya Valley on Shikoku island.
