Sarubobo

We noticed while walking around Takayama that they had a lot of these red dolls with no faces. They come in all sizes and can be seen EVERYWHERE. It's called a Sarubobo, which means "baby monkey". A Sarubobo is a Japanese amulet made during the Edo to protect children from sicknesses. They believed that evil spirits were afraid of the color red, and that it would protect small kids from misfortune. During the winter, when the kids could not go outside to play because of the snow, their grandparents made this doll for them to play with.
Nowadays, the Sarubobo is a popular souvenir item in the Hida region. They come in keychains, necklaces, cellphone hangers, etc. Some even come with the face of Hello Kitty.