Toshiko Fujiki, Sumiyoshi Shinkyuin

Head of the Sumiyoshi Shinkyuin and 2011 graduate of the Acupuncture, Moxibustion, and Anma Day Course (currently the Acupuncture, Moxibustion, and Anma/Massage/Shiatsu Course)
Fujiki started down the path of becoming a practitioner of acupuncture and moxibustion because her experience in business administration led her to want to directly feel the effects of her work. Currently, she works as the head of the Bracing Corporation Sumiyoshi Shinkyuin, one of Bracing Corporation’s five clinics in the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Why did she choose to be an employee instead of opening her own practice?

Clinic Conditions

What kinds of patients are most common?

The Sumiyoshi Shinkyuin where I work specializes in infertility treatments, so the majority of patients are dealing with infertility. The company has five clinics and each one has its own specialty. Of course, we see patients with issues other than infertility. We have patients in their teens and one of my current patients is a 96-year old man, so the clinic really has patients of all ages and genders.

How do you attract clients?

About 80-percent of our clients come after seeing our homepage or reading about us on the internet. There are also referrals from other clients, but recently new clients come to us saying “the doctor at the infertility clinic recommended acupuncture to me so…” I’m really happy that doctors trained in western medicine are aware of the benefits of oriental medicine. With regards to attracting clients, the entire staff participates. I am the leader of online client attraction. Some members of our staff want to open their own private practice in the future, so to make sure I can take care of administrative issues I have these duties as well. It is hard because there is so much work other than providing treatments, but that means I can gain that much more knowledge for opening my own practice.

How many treatments do you provide on a daily basis?

Personally, I see about fifteen people a day. One day is between eight hours and about nine hours of treatments. Other practitioners in the clinic have their own patients, so around 40 patients a day come to the clinic. In terms of actual treatment numbers, I think the total was 280 people last month. It is very busy, but I am grateful because continuing to provide treatments improves my skills. The work also requires physical stamina, so I have become even more careful about maintaining my health. I jog after finishing treatments and I’ve started packing my own lunches to eat. I give my health a lot of attention.

Life at Toyoshinkyu

What led you to become a practitioner of acupuncture and moxibustion?

I was involved in business administration when I was working as a company employee. Although the work gave me a reasonable sense of satisfaction, I felt I wanted to be involved in work where people could directly see the results of what I was doing. I also felt I wanted to keep working even when I am an old lady, so I decided to learn a trade. My mother, who is a fan of acupuncture, suggested it as an option. It just so happened that the little sister of a friend was attending Toyoshinkyu, so maybe I was guided by some of the mysterious power of oriental medicine (laughs).

Please tell us about your memories of your time at Toyoshinkyu.

In class, I was puzzled when the way to find acupoints would change depending on the teacher. I even asked a classmate “what’s the deal with this?” My classmate replied, “the place you think is an acupoint is an acupoint, isn’t it?” As I gained clinical experience I gradually came to understand this perspective. This teacher says it’s here, but that teacher says it’s here?! There were a lot of “???” during my time as a student, but now I think I understand.

Were the studies difficult?

I paid for tuition by taking out student loans. I took care of living expenses with the money I earned at my part time job. I also took out student loans for university, so now I make steady payments every month.

How did you manage tuition?

I paid for tuition by taking out student loans. I took care of living expenses with the money I earned at my part time job. I also took out student loans for university, so now I make steady payments every month.

Message for people wanting to become practitioners of acupuncture and moxibustion

How do you feel about choosing to be an employee instead of opening your own practice?

From the beginning I had no desire to open my own practice. At Sumiyoshi Shinkyuin we work as a team. This means that if there is something I don’t know, I can consult with very experienced colleagues. If a patient improves then all of the staff celebrates together. I have the chance to experience many things that I wouldn’t be able to do if I worked independently. Every day is truly satisfying. Now that I am working in a clinical setting I’ve realized that what I learned at school is only a small part of the whole. It is really encouraging to have colleagues when building clinical experience.

What do you think is the appeal of Toyoshinkyu?

The teachers were all really wonderful. Even now, when I am working in a clinical setting and worrying because I am not seeing any positive changes, I pull out materials from my student days. It is a big help to find a different treatment method. In addition, I believe a person’s character is very connected to acupuncture and moxibustion. I felt there were many teachers at Toyoshinkyu who were truly charming people.

Please tell us about the appeal of the work of a practitioner of acupuncture and moxibustion.

You can actually see an immediate change in response to what you do, so it is rewarding. The Sumiyoshi Shinkyuin specializes in infertility treatments and when I hear someone got pregnant, I am as happy as if it were my own. I shared some tears with a 46-year-old patient the other day when she got pregnant.

Sumiyoshi Shinkyuin (Acupuncture and Moxibustion Clinic)

Located a three minute walk from Sumiyoshi Station

Closed on Sundays, Thursdays, and National Holidays
Hours: 9:00-12:00 and 15:00-20:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; 9:00-16:00 on Saturdays

Phone: 03-5600-2522
Address: 1F Shirakawa Building, 2-6-3 Sumiyoshi, Eto-ku, Tokyo
Homepage: http://www.sumiyoshi-shinkyu.com/

Sumiyoshi Shinkyuin specializes in infertility treatments. Other clinics in the group have different specialties. All of the clinics provide treatments based on the motto of Isshin Nyukon (heart and soul behind each needle).