TOKYO — When Seiko Kita took her three-year-old to an Osaka
hospital for treatment of injuries, including damage to her ears
and other body parts, she never expected the service would be such
a godsend.
But “Nuigurumi Byoin” — a self-styled hospital for stuffed toys
— came to the rescue of her pink toy rabbit Pi-chan, as
Ms Kita affectionately calls her “only girl”. She has another
stuffed toy who is Pi-chan’s “brother”.
The hospital prides itself on having the standards of a
top-level medical facility — high-quality care, skilful “doctors”,
reassuring nurses, and a friendly and sanitary environment — but
only treats stuffed toys.
“Nuigurumi Byoin” (Stuffed Toy Hospital), which opened in 2014
in Osaka Prefecture and only accepts patients by reservation, has
become a hot topic on social media, its popularity stemming from
its attention to detail.
In the six months from March to September it received some 3,200
reservations, with some placed on standby for up to three years,
according to Komichi Horiguchi, head of hospital operator
Cocoro.
Ms Horiguchi, 41, admits the hospital’s popularity has come as a
surprise. “We did not think there was this much demand. Bookings
keep coming,” she says.
So far, 800 “patients” from Japan and abroad have been admitted
to the hospital, where they stay on average for two to three weeks,
depending on the extent of treatment required. The patient’s
condition and information are entered on a registration form.
Essentially, the hospital is a cleaning and repair service for
stuffed animals or plush toys that have been torn, dirtied, or are
lacking a body part. The doctors there, currently six, are experts
in suturing and repairing damaged parts.
“I felt the word ‘repair’ just did not sit well, based on the
close relationship between the patients and family members,”
explains Ms Horiguchi. “The stuffed toys are treated as
family, so it was right to welcome them in a hospital.”
Ms Kita recalled how anxious she was about Pi-chan, which is a
mix of “Pinky” and “chan,” a Japanese term of endearment for girls.
There were similar repair shop facilities, but she was touched by
the quality of service at Nuigurumi Byoin, she says.
Pi-chan had to undergo a difficult procedure involving
“suturing” and a “hair transplant”, which entails replacing
deteriorating cotton. Afterwards, the originally pink-coloured
rabbit, which lost some of its stuffing, was considerably
lighter.
Ms Kita and her husband, both aged 52 and childless, dote on
Pi-chan, who has lived with them for more than a decade and has
become their “source of comfort”. They live in Nara Prefecture, an
hour’s drive from the hospital in Osaka’s Toyonaka city.
The basic cost for such care — including surgery, admission,
“bed” space, and nursing expenses — is around ¥3,300 (S$44.50).
Other options include a travel cost of ¥600 if the patient is
transported home by postal service, and a spa treatment that
involves bathing and massaging them in organic detergents, as well
as a CD documenting their hospital stay.
It might be more practical to buy a brand-new stuffed animal,
but for the Kitas and others, the benefits outweigh the costs.
Ms Kita describes Pi-chan as a “pampered girl who gets lonely”
but says “she is irreplaceable”, adding that one of the services
she most appreciated was being updated about Pi-chan’s progress
through a website.
Ms Horiguchi says that since no patient is alike, all of them
must be treated with “delicate” care. “Failure is not accepted,”
she says. The idea of treating stuffed animals as patients might
sound far-fetched, but activities specifically designed for cuddly
companions are not unusual in Japan.
For example, stuffed toys can be sent on vacation tours or to
Yawarakan’s Cafe, a cafe exclusively for stuffed toys where they
can make friends with other patrons and have photos taken.
“Stuffed toys are simple, and unlike robots cannot move. But
there is something about their presence that brings out kindness in
people,” says Ms Harumi Kozuka, head of the Yokohama-based Japan
Nuigurumi Association, which has been organising trips for stuffed
toys since 2002 in and beyond Tokyo, and as far as Boston. KYODO
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