Ayano Tsukimi and her Valley of the Dolls

Ayano Tsukimi lives in Nagoro , a village in eastern Iya on Shikoku , one of Japan’s four main islands. This is a town that with each passing day runs out of inhabitants. For those who die or move away, Ayano Tsukimi makes life-size dolls out of straw and old clothes in the likenesses of people who are gone and places them in places that were important to them. It is a sight worth seeing as these dolls are scattered throughout the valley.

Tsukimi grew up in Nagoro when it was a populated city, with a school full of students. During his high school years, he moved to Osaka with his parents. He married and had children in Osaka, while his parents eventually returned to Nagoro. After her mother’s death , Tsukimi moved in 2002 to take care of her father. At that time, the population of Shikoku had been greatly reduced , young people were moving to the big cities, deaths were outnumbering births, and necessary services were gradually reduced.

Tsukimi has made several hundred of these dolls or “scarecrows” from the Japanese kakashi . It takes about three days to make one. The face is made with elastic fabric filled with wadding. This fabric is folded and sewn to create the main features and for the eyes he uses buttons. For the arms, legs and torso use rolled up newspaper and wire. To prevent the dolls from deteriorating quickly, she dresses them in waterproof clothing, before putting on the outerwear that defines her “personality.” Once finished the “person” Tsukimi puts them in position in the village for visitors to take pictures and pose for them.

They can be seen all over the town performing various tasks: taking care of the fields, waiting for the bus, even sitting in the classrooms at school. And while people tend to classify this doll-filled town as weird and creepy, there’s something very moving about this retired woman’s reflections on mortality and her coping with life despite the absence of others.

Valley of Dolls from Fritz Schumann on Vimeo .

If you visit Nagoro and walk around its paths, it is very likely that you will meet Tsukimi herself and they will invite you to her house to talk with her and have a good time.

Did you know about this town in Japan? Tell us in the comments!

Shikoku is very easy to get to by train , including the super- fast Shinkansen or bullet train , making it a comfortable ride from Tokyo. And although it is possible to travel by plane, bus or boat, the train offers the best prices and convenience of all . To have an even better price, we recommend traveling with the Japan Railways universal pass called JR PASS , which can be purchased on their website. This pass is purchased before traveling to Japan , arriving at the airport or at any train station , you can pick up your pass with proof of purchase .