Expressing the spirit of Japanese hospitality, calligraphy befitting the New Year is on display on each floor of the Isetan Shinjuku Men's Building. On the third floor, Koji Kakinuma's solo exhibition "ONE" is on display until the 5th, while on the eighth floor, Juichi Yoshikawa's "Shinten" is on display until the 12th. Directly in front of the building's first-floor entrance is a large display of the characters for "Shinten" (Shinten), written by calligrapher Juichi Yoshikawa, who has written the title characters for the manga "Vagabond" and the NHK historical dramas "Musashi" and "Ryoma." The theme, "Shin" (Shin), is a combination of the character for "person" and the character for "monkey," the zodiac sign for 2016, and is intended to bring "success to customers this year." Yoshikawa's calligraphy will be displayed on the walls of each floor, visible as you ascend and descend the escalators from the main entrance on the first floor, in a space called "Choi Art." Approximately 20 of his works will be on display and for sale in the "Charlie Weiss" section on the top floor, the eighth floor. During the exhibition, from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on the 10th and 11th, Yoshikawa will hold an event where he will talk with customers, select a character, and then take up his brush on the spot. (¥50,000; limited numbers available each day.) Additionally, on the third floor of the building, which carries luxury brands such as Prada, Dior Homme, and Gucci, calligrapher Yasuji Kakinuma's solo exhibition "ONE," featuring his unique style born from his solid calligraphy technique and avant-garde spirit, will be held until the 5th. Kakinuma, who created his latest work specifically for the exhibition, commented, "Although this work is a two-dimensional exhibition of calligraphy, it is also an installation that reveals the inner workings of my brain." The buyer in charge commented on the reason for asking Kakinuma to exhibit, saying, "By exhibiting calligraphy that evokes the Japanese New Year among luxury brands that are available around the world, we wanted to express the Japanese New Year to our overseas customers." On the third floor, six works featuring the motif of "ichi," which means "beginning" and is Kakinuma's signature piece, will be on display.

As the new year begins, it would be stylish to enjoy shopping while admiring the messages that calligraphers have put into their characters.