(dynamic orchestral music)
- [Narrator] There is a wise old Japanese saying:
the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
Well, down in Tokyo, there's one nail that sticks out
just about as far as you can imagine,
an inventor known across the country,
a mad genius with a staggering number of patents.
(foreign language)
That includes a wig for self defense.
(light orchestral music)
Meet Yoshiro Nakamatsu.
You may notice his name is spelled NakaMats.
He dropped the letter U because he says
an eight-letter name is easier to remember,
but he still wants you to pronounce it:
(foreign language)
You got it, Doc.
Dr. NakaMats's quirky inventions
brought him worldwide recognition;
inventions like the Pyon Pyon boots,
with springs that put an extra bounce in your step.
There's Dr. NakaMats's Cerebrex.
It looks like a La-Z-Boy, but the doc says
the darn thing enhances brain power.
Then there's the gold golf putter
that pings when you strike the ball.
Huh, would you look at that!
You know you've made it
when the streets are named after you.
But make no mistake.
Dr. NakaMats's inventions aren't all
noisy golf clubs and bouncy shoes.
He claims to have invented the floppy disk.
That's right, that floppy disk.
Retractable landing gear.
A widely used kerosene pump.
And even the digital watch.
(beeping)
To maintain his hyper-creativity,
Dr. NakaMats keeps his mind and body in shape.
That lightweight inventor Thomas Edison said
genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.
Is that your secret, Dr. NakaMats?
(foreign language)
("Symphpny No. 5", by Beethoven)
(foreign language)
(light piano music)
(foreign language)
Dr. NakaMats saw the cancer as an opportunity.
It was his greatest challenge
to invent his way out of an impossible corner.
He developed his own personal cancer treatment.
This includes a meticulously documented diet
and a new invention to fight the cancer
he calls the Gangan Robot.
The doctors gave him one year to live.
That was five years ago.
(spirited orchestral music)
(foreign language)