Kakashi-no-Sato, the Scarecrow Village of Tokushima
Tucked away on the smallest of Japan’s main four islands is the village of Kakashi-no-Sato, one of the country’s most bizarre and other-worldly sights. Because much of the population lives on Japan’s larger islands, today the village is home to barely more than 30 people, leading long-time resident Ayano Tsukimi (pictured below) to come up with a creative solution to fill the void: Kakakashi (or, Scarecrow).
After creating a scarecrow for her garden that resembled her late father, Ayano began creating more of the life-sized straw dolls based around friends, family members and other villagers. Now placed in various positions throughout the village, a stroll through this idyllic rural village will reveal nearly 400 scarecrows carrying out an array of different scenes of daily life, including: riding a bike, attending school, plowing fields and much more.