Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Order a flight of infused ya dong shots.
Tep Bar
Thai-Chinese makes up Bangkok’s largest diaspora.
Nai Ek Roll Noodle
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
7 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
8 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
9 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
10 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Japan Nagoro Nagoro Village

Nagoro Village

As the aging humans of this Japanese village die off one local artisan is replacing them with eerie homonculi.

Nagoro, Japan

Added By
Amy
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Nagoro Village   nakochi_iya
Nagoro Village   nakochi_iya
Nagoro Village   Map data ©2015 Google
Nagoro Village   Map data ©2015 Google
  sk0821 / Atlas Obscura User
  sk0821 / Atlas Obscura User
  sk0821 / Atlas Obscura User
  sk0821 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

While the tiny Japanese village of Nagoro continues to shrink in the face of aging and industry, its population has managed to stay nearly constant thanks to one local artist who has set about creating life-size doll replicas of the residents as they move away or die.

When Japanese artist Ayano Tsukimi moved back to the little village where she was born she found that many of her neighbors were moving out to bigger cities and the ones who were staying were often not long for the world. Faced with the slow death of the village she so loved, Tsukimi had an epiphany one day after creating a scarecrow (or kakashi) for her garden that was meant to look like her late father: why stop there? Tsukimi began crafting other life-size dolls modeled on former locals, placing them all around the village in various states of action as their human counterparts would die or move off.

After continuously crafting these cloth doppelgangers for over a decade there are now around 350 of the toy citizens. From random utility workers posed in the middle of a road repair to leisurely fishermen forever waiting for their catch on a riverbank to an entire classroom filled with lifeless pupils silently attending to their cotton-faced teachers, the village has become a fascinating (if unsettling) toyland.

Ayano continues to tend to her creations, repairing damaged figures and always crafting new ones. With fewer than 40 breathing humans left in the residential community, Nagoro has become a strange fairyland inspired by loss, progress, and mainly, dolls. 

Related Tags

Dolls Villages Ghost Towns
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Amy L

Edited By

Martin, Molly McBride Jacobson, EricGrundhauser, sk0821

  • Martin
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • EricGrundhauser
  • sk0821

Published

January 23, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://vimeo.com/92453765
  • http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/2/5674448/nagoro-japanese-doll-village-photos-video
  • http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/05/valley-of-dolls/
  • http://unusualplaces.org/nagoro-a-creepy-japanese-village-where-dolls-replace-the-departed/
Nagoro Village
Nagoro, 778-0201
Japan
33.855356, 134.018389

Nearby Places

The Vine Bridges of Iya Valley

Miyoshi, Japan

miles away

Peeing Boy of Iya Valley

Miyoshi, Japan

miles away

Yokai Yashiki (Monster and Stone Museum)

Miyoshi, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Japan

Japan

Asia

Places 786
Stories 110

Nearby Places

The Vine Bridges of Iya Valley

Miyoshi, Japan

miles away

Peeing Boy of Iya Valley

Miyoshi, Japan

miles away

Yokai Yashiki (Monster and Stone Museum)

Miyoshi, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Japan

Japan

Asia

Places 786
Stories 110

Related Places

  • Pentidattilo was named for the hand-shaped rock on which it sits.

    Pentidattilo, Italy

    Pentidattilo

    A ghost town on the slopes of a hand-shaped rock is haunted by the story of a 17th-century murder.

  • Borgo Fazio (administration building)

    Trapani, Italy

    Borgo Amerigo Fazio

    A never-inhabited village that was built as part of Mussolini's agricultural reforms.

  • The ruins of the ancient fortress of Rocchettine

    Rocchette, Italy

    Rocchettine

    This long-abandoned village sits across a narrow gorge from a still-inhabited settlement that was once its twin.

  • Barmaz Ghost Village

    Saint-Denis, Italy

    Barmaz Ghost Village

    An abandoned village that resides along the mountains of the Aosta Valley.

  • East Haddam, Connecticut

    Johnsonville Village

    This picturesque Victorian ghost town was once a thriving mill community.

  • Abandoned Scar House Village

    North Yorkshire, England

    Abandoned Scar House Village

    The remains of a remote village that once housed over 1,200 dam workers and their families.

  • Some of the houses have blue and green walls.

    Al Madam, United Arab Emirates

    Buried Village of Al Madam

    An abandoned desert hamlet swallowed up by sand.

  • Abandoned graffitied building.

    Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico

    The Ruins of Central Aguirre

    This nearly abandoned "company town" is a ghost of Puerto Rico's once-lucrative sugar industry.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.