[Japanese Side] The Story of a 75-Year-Old Toy Doctor Fixing Memories with a '95% Cure Rate'

Do you happen to have any toys from your childhood that you have kept until now? I have a large whale doll that has moved with me every time I relocated. Despite the voices around me telling me to throw it away, I have lived with it for 20 years. It is so worn out that it can no longer be used, but since it has been like an old friend, I just can't throw it away.

Recently, Japan's Jiji Press reported on a famous toy doctor who repairs broken toys. He has been running his clinic for 21 years and 6 months, handling over 8,000 toy repairs, boasting a 95% cure rate. Starting from fixing toys that children played with in their youth, he also became known for making toys for children with disabilities. Today, we introduce 75-year-old Sumi Fumiyoshi, known as the "Toy Doctor."

Fumiyoshi Sumi introducing the toy improvement method. (Photo by ST with Toys on YouTube)

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Mr. Sumi was originally a teacher at a special school for children with disabilities. While thinking about toys for the children, he noticed a secondhand toy store near the school. The store owner was about to throw away unusable toys, but Mr. Sumi took them and tried fixing them a few times, finding they were easy to repair. Starting from there, he naturally began to bring in secondhand toys, fix them, and use them during classes.

Then, he read a newspaper article about a toy hospital that repairs toys. Thinking, "I can do this too," he went there without hesitation to learn, and after retiring, he studied electronic engineering for three years to prepare for opening his own clinic.

At the beginning of his clinic, he distributed flyers nearby and created a website to promote it. He happily repaired toys brought by neighborhood children who asked for help. The children would often sit beside him and watch the toy repair process. However, due to COVID-19, face-to-face interactions with toy owners have greatly decreased, and Mr. Sumi has been feeling quite lonely lately. Nowadays, more toys are sent by parcel from all over the country.

Fumiyoshi Sumi (left), who repairs toys. (Photo by Kokubunji Toy Hospital website)

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The clinic has already been open for 21 and a half years. Many people with various stories have visited here. In 2017, a middle-aged man brought a doll with a tattered upper body. His mother, who had dementia, always sat this doll beside her while eating, and since it had become very dirty, he asked for it to be repaired.

There was also a request from someone who wanted to repair toys that the family used to play with long ago to encourage her husband who was terminally ill with cancer. He repaired a pinball toy, and later the client came back to express gratitude, saying, "Before he passed away, we were able to gather as a family, play games, and have fun."

In the past, there were often cases where he could not find matching parts and had to return the toys unrepaired. But nowadays, thanks to the release of 3D printers, discontinued toy parts can be easily produced. The cure rate is expected to rise even further.

Mr. Sumi not only repairs memories but also works on improving toys. While working as a special school teacher, he realized that even children who can only move their hands or legs due to paralysis can play with toys if there is a switch suited to their abilities. He developed a switch that extends a terminal from inside the toy to the outside, which can be lightly pressed or touched to turn on the power, allowing children to play comfortably. He has developed more than 10 different types of switches tailored to the degree of movement possible.

Switches developed by Sumi. (Photo by Gokubunji Toy Hospital website)

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In a past interview with Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), Mr. Sumi said, "Loving toys is the same for children and adults," and added, "Even if you have a disability, you should be able to enjoy the pleasure of making toys move by your own power."

What is the driving force behind his passionate work at the age of 75? He showed humility toward the praise he received. Mr. Sumi said:

"I am not trying to help anyone in particular. First of all, I am excited to meet toys and enjoy repairing them. If that ultimately benefits others, then that is a happy thing."

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