Japanese Village Uses Puppets to Address Aging Population Crisis

In Ichinono, life-sized mannequins replace absent youth, highlighting Japan's demographic challenges.

Ichinono, a rural Japanese village with fewer than 60 mostly elderly residents, uses handcrafted mannequins to simulate a vibrant community.
The village's youth have largely migrated to cities for better opportunities, leaving behind an aging population and a sense of loneliness.
Residents have created lifelike puppets from old clothes to depict daily activities, providing companionship and a semblance of youthful presence.
The arrival of a young family during the COVID-19 pandemic marked the first birth in the village in two decades, offering a glimmer of hope.
Japan faces a national demographic crisis with a record low birth rate and a rapidly aging population, prompting government initiatives to reverse the trend.