With the Boys' Day festival just one month away, the May doll sales season is reaching its peak. This year's trend is toward traditional styles, as well as compact-sized dolls perfect for early summer decor. Department stores in Tokyo are offering a variety of May dolls tailored to modern lifestyles. Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Main Store offers a lineup of dolls by master craftsmen, replicas of actual armor, and works by armorers who repair existing armor. They also offer compact dolls perfect for living rooms and designs with displays that double as storage boxes. They carry approximately 230 types of dolls, including a wearable helmet storage display for children and even a Steiff teddy bear wearing a suit of armor (¥98,700). Currently, the best-selling dolls are split into two distinct price ranges: high-end and low-end. An exhibition and sale is being held at a special venue on the 5th floor of the main building until May 5th. For the first time this year, online sales have also begun.

At Isetan Shinjuku, sales have exceeded those of the previous year, with particularly strong sales of higher-priced items. They have a wide selection of compact items suited to modern living spaces, as well as "stylish and modern" designs that fathers will love. They also have "selectable helmets" that can be displayed in your preferred combination. They've also introduced the "Bottle Armor" armor doll (86,100 yen) from the "Bottle Armor Project," which was launched by Japanese sake breweries and traditional craftsmen who suffered devastating damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake to help rebuild Japan and pass on its culture. It's on display and for sale until May 5th in the Kimono/Festival Dolls section on the 7th floor of the main building.