On the surface, Nagoro village, on Japan’s Shikoku Island, might look like any other corner of the Japanese countryside.Children gather in the school hall, mothers tend to their gardens, and elderly folk wait patiently at bus stops.Look a little closer though, and you’ll notice something isn’t quite right: the eyes stare blankly, the limbs are lifeless – and an eerie stillness emanates throughout.Welcome to Scarecrow Village, a mountainous area of Tokushima Prefecture that’s home to more dolls than people, many of them posed carrying out everyday activities.Indeed, thanks to the sweeping forces of both urban migration and ageing, there are thought to be only 30 real-life inhabitants here, according to Time Out, with humans easily outnumbered by the 350-odd life-sized dolls.And it’s by no mistake that the scarecrows here have started to take over. Some 30 years ago, local resident Ms Tsukimi Ayano made a scarecrow for her field using her father’s clothes.Noticing the scarecrow was often mistaken for a real person, she was inspired to create more, and began crafting incredibly realistic figures in all manner of outfits, carrying out all manner of activities. ‘Scarecrow Village’ can be found on Japan’s Shikoku Island Local resident Ms Tsukimi Ayano began creating the scarecrows as the population dwindled Other residents joined in and there are now hundreds of the dolls, and only around 30 humansOther residents soon joined in, and now there are all kinds of scarecrows across the area getting up to various antics. ‘I’ve always made dolls as a hobby,’ Ms Tsukimi Ayano told ABC News. ‘I never thought that my hobby would turn out like this.’There is a basic scarecrow register in the village that logs each of the figures’ names, personality, story and other information, Tourism Shikoku says.Visitors will find scarecrows of all sizes and ages, each one dressed specifically for their role. The fields are full of farmer dolls in hats and overalls, while cyclists wear helmets. Child scarecrows are much smaller than their parents, and might even carry toys or ride tricycles. There’s even an empty primary school, closed as the population dwindled, where scarecrows instead of children now sit at the desks.The unusual attraction is a two-hour drive away from Tokushima City, and was visited by former Top Gear star James May in his series James May: Our Man in Japan. Former Top Gear star James May visited the spot while filming his series James May: Our Man in Japan There are scarecrows of all sizes and ages, each one dressed specifically for their role The unique spot is a two-hours’ drive away from Tokushima CityIn a village where a baby hasn’t been born for over 20 years, the dolls have brought an unusual new lease of life. ‘Now that the number of dolls has increased, people from all over the country and even from abroad have come to see them,’ Ms Tsukimi Ayano said. ‘This town has become very lively.’There are more than a thousand reviews on Google from visitors and one reads: ‘Extraordinary. Difficult to get to so a car with GPS navigation is recommended. It’s eerily peaceful, especially during rain. There is a workshop available in which you can make your own “scarecrow”.’Another said: ‘This is one of the most unique places you can visit on the island, and probably in all of Japan. ‘We stopped here for an hour or so to explore on our camping/hiking trip around the island, and it was well worth the harrowing roads!’