The Japanese village of Nagoro once was home to hundreds of families but now has only 35 residents who are outnumbered by scarecrows placed around the town by a local resident, according to The Associated Press.
Resident Tsukimi Ayano, a 65-year-old who is the youngest resident of Nagoro, began to build the scarecrows to keep her radish crops safe, but then began creating more to keep occupied and make the town more interesting as the number of residents became lower, according to the AP.
More than 10,000 similar Japanese towns are depopulated as the buildings and homes sit and rot away, the AP reported. After the elementary schools are closed down in the ghosts towns, the electricity is not far behind.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has not been able to figure out how to "revive localities," according to the AP.
In the town of Nagoro, the scarecrow filled towns draws in travelers who took the route into stopping and checking out all of the buildings, filled with scarecrow people, the AP reported. The scarecrows currently outnumber the residents three to one.
Greater Tokyo has 37 million people and Osaka-Kobe has 11.5 million and account for nearly 40 percent of Japan's 127 million people, according to the AP.
Since 2010, Japan's population began to decline, the AP reported. Their population of 128 million will decrease by 2050 to 108 million, and then down to 87 million by 2060, at which point four in 10 Japanese will be over 65 years old.
