In the beginning, there were only seven scarecrows on the flowerbed of a local “himawari (sunflower) circle”. Minoru Oshiro, the local ward headman, made them all using scrap materials.

He intended to remove them in few weeks, but there were visitors coming to see them on weekends. Some residents brought things like rain boots and working clothes to dress the scarecrows.

“We started the display just for fun, but now we cannot remove them,” Oshiro said with a laugh. Now the army of the scarecrows has grown to 35, so far. “Some people say they are scary, but I hope they will become a topic of conversation,” Oshiro explained.

Now cosmos flowers are blooming and carp streamers are flowing around them, which makes a funny combination to see. A local resident prepared a free parking lot near the site, and local residents urge visitor use the lot and not to park on the national road for everyone’s safety.

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