This unsettling shrine in Japan is home to thousands of dolls donated from across the country.

The Awashima shrine in Kada, Wakayama prefecture, hosts the figurines of all varieties – from Geishas to hedgehogs and Buddahs.

There is a superstition about dolls in Japan which means many people refuse to throw theirs away.

Many people dispose of their dolls in special festivals or take them to places such as Awashima as it is believed the spirits of the dolls will haunt their owners if they simply throw them in the trash.

One American visitor to the shine says: "People get close to many things... Sometimes it's hard to give it away.

"It doesn't have a life, but we give it life.

"I think it's a nice way to say goodbye to something."

The footage was filmed on April 28.

In Kada, Wakayama prefecture, Japan, there is a shrine called Awashima shrine which has a huge collection of dolls donated by people across the country. According to atlas obscura (https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/a...), ‘’ There are a lot of Japanese superstitions about dolls, and a good number of people in Japan seem to find them a little mysterious or frightening, believing that they have souls or the power to influence human lives. There are a number of shrines and festivals wherein people dispose of their old dolls and toys - they feel that if they just threw them in the garbage, the dolls’ souls might come back to haunt them like ghosts.’’