"Fixing Memories" Japan's Popular 'Doll Hospital'... "Requests from Overseas Too"

"The patient is going in for examination. Height is 94cm, weight is 264g. To cover the wound, we will need to proceed with skin and hair transplantation."

A place where patients are willing to travel far and wide for treatment by a famous doctor. Many patients wait a year for a consultation. This place is Natsumi Clinic, a doll hospital located in Tokyo. It is a place that restores old and worn dolls or dolls damaged by carelessness, gaining popularity both inside and outside Japan. To date, the number of dolls that have been treated and discharged healthy from this hospital reaches 15,000.

Japanese media analyzed that the reason for its popularity is not simply repairing dolls, but treating dolls like real patients and preserving the innocence of the customers through this approach.

The appearance of 'Pi-chan' hospitalized at Natsumi Clinic. (Photo by Natsumi Clinic website)

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On the 11th, a Japanese online media outlet reported an interview with Director Natsumi Hakozaki of Natsumi Clinic. Director Hakozaki graduated from a fashion vocational school and worked at a shop repairing clothes and curtains, where she also learned doll repair. She stated, "At first, it was a side job, but many customers teared up when their dolls were repaired, so I decided to open a full-fledged business."

What allowed this place to differentiate itself from other doll hospitals was the service that carefully considers the customers' feelings. The hospital’s characteristic is to follow procedures similar to an actual hospital and protect the innocence of the guardians who spent time with the dolls.

First, guardians who visit the hospital fill out a medical questionnaire about the patient's condition and then proceed with a consultation. Director Hakozaki explained that this is because each guardian has different preferences for how their doll should be treated.

For example, even if a doll was burned by a heater and the guardian wants treatment, some say, "Please restore it to the clean state before the injury," while others say, "Since it was hurt for me, I would like some traces of the burn to remain." Each has different requests.

Patient 'Gomachan' admitted to Natsumi Clinic is weighing themselves. (Photo source = Natsumi Clinic homepage)

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A basic physical examination measuring the doll’s height and weight is also always conducted. This is because after restoration, the doll must be discharged with the same size and weight. Old stuffing tends to clump, so replacing it with the same amount of new stuffing temporarily causes swelling. Director Hakozaki said, "Sometimes guardians are startled by the swollen appearance, but it soon settles down. However, if the guardian requests, we also adjust by adding or removing stuffing."

Respecting the memories with the doll, the clinic does not carelessly discard the stuffing entrusted by the guardians. The reason this clinic is famous is because of the 'Heart of the Heart' service. When replacing the stuffing inside the doll with new stuffing, the original stuffing is wrapped in pink gauze in the shape of a heart and placed inside the doll. It is like creating a 'body' similar to a heart. This service leaves a little of the original stuffing to cherish the memories.

Additionally, it is possible to entrust a doll living with the patient doll as a temporary guardian so that the hospitalized doll does not feel lonely.

Estimate for treatment of 'Gomachan' at Natsumi Clinic. It includes details such as replacing the fabric and reattaching the nose and eyes. (Photo by Natsumi Clinic website)

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The treatment process of hospitalized dolls is disclosed on the website so that guardians can refer to it. Comments can also be written to exchange messages of support between patients and medical staff. Hospitalization takes an average of 1 to 2 months. This is because time is needed to select and find fabrics matching the color and material at the time of restoration.

As word spread that this place protects innocence, the age range of guardians entrusting dolls varies from 4-year-old children to middle-aged adults. Especially in Japan, 'doll activities' (Nuikatsu·ぬい活), where people take dolls out and take photos with them, are steadily popular, and the hospital is always bustling. Every month, 100 dolls are discharged in healthy condition, and as of last month, all reservations for this year were fully booked. Director Hakozaki also said that there are many cases where dolls are sent from overseas, such as China and Taiwan, by air courier for treatment.

In an interview with Asahi Shimbun, when asked if there was a memorable patient, he replied, "A girl and her mother came holding a teddy bear asking to replace the damaged fabric, and the girl cried until just before hospitalization because she didn’t want to let go. After seeing the restored doll, the mother said the girl, who had been gloomy, cried with joy for the first time in her life. She said she was grateful to be able to see her daughter’s growth together. Experiences like that give me strength."

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