Japan is aging. Fast. Fully one-fifth of the country's population. And while Japan ages, the suicide rate in this group has also risen due to loneliness, depression, honour and a host of other issues. In order to combat this, certain toy companies have been targeting this audience with "Healing Toys." Case in point: Yumel the Healing Partner from Tomy. Designed to talk to you and keep you company, Yumel comes in either gender and in a number of pastel colors. You can watch a video of Yumel here. My personal favorite is this list that was published in Harper's Magazine of translations of Yumel's repertoire.
