In the small town of Nagoro, population 35, one woman is trying to save her village from extinction by creating life-sized dolls for every inhabitant who either dies or moves away.

Source: www.foreignaffairs.com

Japan has experienced rural to urban migration for decades now; simultaneously, Japan’s fertility rates have dropped far below replacement level.  While Tokyo is still bustling, small villages are shrinking to the point of disappearing.  This is a haunting and yet touching tribute to these emerging ghost towns.  It seems like a memorial to enshrine a sense of place before the memory of this place is forever eradicated–like a an earthen dam .  


Tags: Japan, declining population, population, demographics, unit 2 population, East Asia, landscape, place.