The Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store will hold its Mitsukoshi Founding Festival from October 22nd to November 4th. Marking 100 years since the installation of the store's iconic lion statue, the store will be holding lion-themed merchandise sales and events during the festival. On the first day of the festival, a birthday ceremony celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Mitsukoshi lion statue will be held in the central hall on the first floor of the main building, with a 1.5-meter birthday cake planned to be unveiled at the venue. A children's story celebrating the lion's 100th birthday will also be published. Eiko Kadono, a picture book and children's story writer known for "Kiki's Delivery Service," has published "Yoko-chan and the Lion" (1,280 yen). Popular illustrator Izuru Aminaka has added illustrations to the fantasy world she creates. It's a sad yet heartwarming story about a young girl named Yoko who comes shopping and a lion. During the event, Kadono and Aminaka will be holding a book signing and sale event (October 22nd, 1:30 PM), as well as a reading and autograph sale event by Kadono and Haba Masataka (October 23rd and 24th, 1:30 PM each day). Additionally, "Make Your Own Lion Bag" (October 22nd to 28th, 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 3:30 PM each day, participation fee: ¥1,500) will be held in Space #1 on the first floor of the main building. This event allows participants to freely express lions using pens and ribbons on a tote bag from the brand "ROOTOTE" as a canvas, creating their own original bag. The jewelry salon on the sixth floor will be selling a gold winged lion, "K24 Winged Lion" (¥3.2 million). Its stately presence makes it a truly captivating work of art. Also on the sixth floor, at the Art and Craft Salon, young ceramic artist Wataru Nagase will be selling five varieties of lion ceramic brooches and obi clasps (9,261 yen) in a capsule toy machine. This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the store's food floor, and to commemorate this milestone, a selection of Japanese and Western-style lion-themed sweets will be on sale. "Saika no Houseki's Lion Can" (1,500 yen) is a set of juicy muscat-flavored jelly and popular fruit jellies shaped like a lion. "Bunmeido Nihonbashi's Smile Lion Castella Cake" (1,000 yen) features an adorable smiling lion and is said to be enjoyable for both children and adults. Nihonbashi is undergoing redevelopment and evolving every day. The lion statue at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi must be enjoying the rapid changes over the past century.