NAGORO, Japan — The last children were born in the remote mountain village of Nagoro 18 years ago. But on a recent bright autumn Sunday, Tsukimi Ayano brought the school back to life. It just so happened that she did it with dolls rather than humans. Ms. Ayano, 70, had arrayed more than 40 handmade dolls in a lifelike tableau on the grounds of the shuttered school. “We never see children here anymore,” said Ms. Ayano, who was born in Nagoro, and has staged an annual doll festival for the last seven years.

Source: New York Times December 17, 2019 09:56 UTC