At first glance, most visitors to Nagoro Village will see a sweet rural community of elderly residents spending their time blissfully tending to their gardens and fishing. Take a closer look, however, and you might be in for a scare. The villagers are actually scarecrows! Get it?
Nagoro Village, aka Kakashi no Sato(Scarecrow Village), is a unique riverside town in Tokushima Prefectureon Japan’s smallest island, Shikoku. Scarecrow residents outnumber humans ten-to-one in this remote Iya Valleyhamlet.
Who made all the scarecrows?
More than 200 scarecrows inhabit the town. They’ve become loved by their human neighbors and are often celebrated by the community for bringing back fruitful memories of the past.
The scarecrows are all created single-handedly by longtime resident Ayano Tsukimi. Tired of seeing the number of villagers decline over the years, Ayano chose to create a new community of friendly faces. Stuffing old clothes with newspaper and cotton helped her repopulate the once lively neighborhood.
If you’re lucky, there’s a chance you might bump into Ayano herself. She’s just one of approximately thirty people still living in the village.
In recent years, Ayano has started creating dolls that follow international trends. Play a game of real-life “Where’s Waldo,” and see if you can find the US President Donald Trump scarecrow doppelganger or characters from the Harry Potter series. There are also famous Japanese celebrities and comedians.
Scarecrow Festival
On the first Sunday of October, Nagoro holds a festival that exhibits the scarecrows and Ayano’s other works. Every year’s exhibition has a different theme with photo contests, bazaars, and rice cake throwing.
Just under an hour away from Nagoro village is Iya Valley, home to lush forests, three rare vine bridges, hot springs, and other exciting outdoor activities such as whitewater rafting and canyoning along the Oboke Gorge.
Nagoro Scarecrow Village is nestled in a more remote area along the Iya River. There are small Buddhist temples and farms to visit nearby, but the main attraction is definitely the scarecrows. If you’re lucky, there’s a chance you might bump into Ayano herself. She’s just one of approximately thirty people still living in the village.
