日本稻草人村：“居民”多為布偶

One woman in a fading Japanese village is slowly replacing its dead residents with scarecrows.

正在凋落的日本村莊中，一位婦人用布偶重現舊人。

The 35 residents left in Nagoro, southern Japan, are now outnumbered three-two-one by the mannequins Tsukimi Ayano has made to replace neighbours who have died or moved away.

據英國《每日郵報》報道，日本一村莊由于居民日漸減少，已變為稻草人村。日本南部一座名為Nagoro的村莊人煙寥寥，只剩下35人。名為月見綾野（Tsukimi Ayano）藝術家為了讓村莊回復昔日的人氣，制作了321個稻草人重現舊人。

It's an eccentric response to an increasingly common problem. More than 10,000 towns and villages in Japan are depopulated, homes and infrastructure crumbling as the countryside empties.

這是對日益增長的村莊老齡化問題的一種古怪反應。在日本，超過一萬座城鎮和村莊人口日漸減少，家園和基礎設施因此支離破碎。

At 65, Ms Tsukimi is one of the younger residents of Nagoro, a small village nestled in the rugged mountain landscape of interior of the southern island of Shikoku.

據報道，Nagoro坐落于四國島（Shikoku）北部的一處山谷中，地形崎嶇。現年65歲的月見綾野是這里最年輕的居民。

She moved back from Osaka to look after her 85-year-old father after decades away.

離開幾十年后，她從大阪搬回這座村莊來照顧85歲的父親。

'They bring back memories,' Ms Tsukimi said of the life-size dolls crowded into corners of her farmhouse, perched on fences and trees, huddled side-by-side at a produce stall, the bus stop - anywhere a living person might stop.

月見綾野將真人大小的娃娃擺放在真人可能出現的任何地方，他們擠在農舍的角落里，坐在柵欄和大樹旁，排在廢棄的公共汽車站前。“他們帶來回憶。”月見綾野說道。

'That old lady used to come and chat and drink tea. That old man used to love to drink sake and tell stories. It reminds me of the old times, when they were still alive and well,' she said.

“老婦人們過去經常過來聊天喝茶，老人們則喜歡喝清酒講故事。這讓我想起逝去的時光，那時他們都還健在。”她說。