2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the installation of Mitsukoshi's iconic lion statue. To celebrate the "100th Birthday of the Mitsukoshi Lion Statue," the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store will hold lion-themed product sales, events, and exhibitions. The event will run for one week from April 1st to 8th. A limited-time collaboration café with Morinaga Milk Caramel, also celebrating its 100th anniversary, will open in the main building's first-floor central hall. Other events include a baking workshop and a video showcasing the 100-year history of the Mitsukoshi Lion Statue via digital signage. Each food brand will offer a variety of lion-themed Japanese and Western confectioneries, as well as bento boxes. Cute lion-themed products, including cookies, macarons, candy, high-quality sweets, and dorayaki, will also be on sale. These products feature elaborate designs and packaging. More than 3,000 lion-themed items will be on display on the food floor during the event, making it a truly "lion-filled" festival. Even on the non-food floors, there will be many lion-themed items. The entire building will be filled with lion-themed items, including a lion statue bra by Triumph, a mother and baby lion made of pure gold worth 1.8 million yen, and interior goods such as ceramics by Richard Ginori. There will also be a stamp rally for children to find lions, and a show-style event on the rooftop where customers can participate with their pet dog dressed as a lion. During the event, five lion statues stored in the store's underground warehouse will be unveiled at the Ginza Line entrance and in the central hall. Also on display will be a life-size chocolate lion statue made by Kumamoto's Okashi no Koubai, a pixel art lion object made from Morinaga Milk Caramel packaging, and a gold leaf lion statue. "Nihonbashi is now attracting attention overseas as a popular tourist spot, and has become a place that firmly promotes Japanese culture," said Yoji Naka, Managing Executive Officer of Mitsukoshi Isetan and General Manager of Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi. "With the renovation of COREDO, the entire town now has more to enjoy. This lion-themed event, which also served as a measure against the April tax increase, initially seemed like a planned event, but with the employees united, it has become a much larger-scale celebration than we expected. We hope everyone will join in celebrating the auspicious lion's 100th anniversary." The two bronze lion statues were installed at the store in 1914 (Taisho 3). Upon the completion of the main building, then-CEO Osuke Hibi installed them as "symbols of courage, elegance, and magnanimity." Having survived the Great Kanto Earthquake and the Pacific War, the lion statues remain beloved today as guardian deities of Mitsukoshi.