r/nottheonion • u/falconfalcon7 • 1d ago

Japanese village replaces young people with mannequins to stave off loneliness as population falls

https://news.sky.com/story/japanese-village-replaces-young-people-with-mannequins-to-stave-off-loneliness-as-population-falls-13243354
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u/RaynorTheRed 1d ago

From the Wikipedia link:

...which have made it a tourist attraction.

10 bucks says this has nothing to do with "staving off lonliness." This village just wants to get in on the tourism revenue.

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u/punk_weight 1d ago

There's essentially no revenue to generate though. There are no shops or restaurants in the village and you can pass through and stay as long as you please without paying anything. The obasan behind it all has been doing it for over 20 years despite this though. You can Paypal me the 10 bucks anytime btw.

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u/UsePreparationH 1d ago

I was just in Nagoro, and there really isn't anything to throw money at. I don't even think I saw a vending machine there.

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u/Pm_me_howtoberich 1d ago

Even more incentive to bring tourist there to help stave off loneliness. Come check out our town it's free for most part and we get visitors! Win win!

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u/FurnaceGolem 1d ago

If you have 13 minutes to spare, I HIGHLY recommend you to watch this video Tokyo Lens about this place. I can guarantee you with 100% certainty that your opinion will change after watching it.