This village in Japan is placing life-sized dolls in place of people. Here's why

Adopting an innovative way to battle low population, a Japanese village has been placing life-sized dolls to give the place the feel of a human-filled bustling society.

In the hamlet of Ichinono, there are less than 60 residents and just one child. Hence, the villagers are trying the fill the emptiness with stuffed mannequins which are dressed and kept around the community. Some of these mannequins pose on bicycles and swings.

“We’re probably outnumbered by puppets,” said 88-year-old resident Hisayo Yamazaki, while speaking to the news agency AFP.

Yamazaki said that even though older inhabitants had children but they went to different places to attend college and left the tiny community empty.

“We were afraid they would become unmarriageable if they remained stuck in a remote place like this. Out they went, and they never came back, getting jobs elsewhere. We’re now paying the price," she said while speaking to the outlet.

“If the village is left as it is now, the only thing that awaits us is extinction,” said 74-year-old Ichiro Sawayama, head of its governing body while speaking to Japan Today.

Different mannequins fill spaces in Japan's hamlet

The mannequins similar to little girls and boys were kept across the entire village to fill the emptiness of children who have moved from the place.

One mannequin was of a little girl who wore a beanie andsat on a wooden swing while a similar one was standing on a scooter.

There was another puppet representing a child who was wearing a red helmet and sitting on a stationary bike.

The mannequins for adults have also been installed across the village. Two of these mannequins were of women who were watching a mannequin of a girl who was depicted to be putting logs in a cart.

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A new couple had recently moved to the little village leaving behind the big city life as they looked for a quieter alternative.

The 33-year-old Rie Kato and 31-year-old Toshiki Kato shifted to the village when the hybrid work culture started during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The couple soon had a son Kuranosuke Kato who became the first baby to be born in the village in two decades.

The villagers showered their love on the baby and he soon became a celebrity in the town.

"Just by being born here, our son benefits from the love, support and hope of so many people - even though he has achieved absolutely nothing in life yet," said his father, while speaking to AFP.

(With inputs from agencies)