A village in Japan, that is home to fewer than 60 people, is overrun by life-sized puppets as residents have handcrafted stuffed mannequins to create a semblance of a bustling society. Only one baby was born in Ichinono in two decades, according to the internal affairs ministry data and it is only one of more than 20,000 communities in Japan where the majority of residents are aged 65 and above.
The Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, has called Japan's low birth rate a "quiet emergency".
"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 Ichinono's governing body.
Some puppets ride swings while others push a cart of firewood, smiling eerily at visitors.
"We're probably outnumbered by puppets," Hisayo Yamazaki, an 88-year-old widow, told AFP.
Rice harvesting and sake brewing used to keep Ichinono afloat. Most families in the village used to have children, Yamazaki recalled. But "we were afraid they would become unmarriageable if they remained stuck in a remote place like this", so they were encouraged to attend city colleges. "Out they went, and they never came back, getting jobs elsewhere. We're now paying the price," she said.
- Pastoral living -
One family in Ichinono is a bit different: 33-year-old Rie Kato and 31-year-old Toshiki Kato moved from big city Osaka to Ichinono in 2021, then they had Kuranosuke.
The couple decided to ditch urban life for the countryside as the pandemic allowed for more flexible working.
As the youngest resident by far, their son is adored by the other villagers, who bring him home-cooked meals and collectively look after him.
The toddler is "our pride", village head Sawayama beams, while widow Yamazaki says he is "practically my great-grandchild -- such a sweet thing".
The Katos say it is a good thing that he is growing up with the community of Ichinono instead of the anonymity of an Osaka apartment.
"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," laughed his father Toshiki.
His mother Rie said neighbours in the tight-knit village sometimes ask her a favour or invite her to play the croquet-like sport gateball. The family also helps harvest edamame beans with their neighbours.
"I feel like my self-worth, as an individual, is recognised here," she said. "I'm sure that's how Kuranosuke will feel about himself growing up."
(With inputs from AFP)
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