[What Day Is It Today Essay | #05] Sunday best clothes and a moving panda. Back then, department stores were magical kingdoms.

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Today is December 20th. It is apparently "Department Store Opening Day".

What kind of place is a "department store" to all of you? For me now, a department store is a "place to do a little nice shopping." Dropping by to look at cosmetics on the way home from work, or going to eat trendy sweets with friends. It is a place to enjoy a casual "extraordinary" experience that makes me stand a little taller.

However, hearing about this anniversary suddenly brought back memories of my childhood. Memories of when I went to Yokohama Takashimaya with my family while we were still living in Yokohama.

Back in the Showa era, going to a department store was a "major event" that happened only a few times a year, completely different from today.

Dad would put on his best jacket, and Mom would wear heels a little higher than usual. My brother and I would change into the "Sunday best clothes" that Mom had prepared for us. I remember my heart racing from the moment I put on my shoes at the entrance.

When you opened the heavy doors of the department store, you were at the entrance to a dream world. Passing through the main entrance on the first floor, the cosmetics department spread out before you. There were many beautiful ladies, and a unique, pleasant scent like face powder drifted through the air.

Waiting beyond that sea of fragrance was the elevator. In front of the doors stood an elevator girl in her uniform, wearing pure white gloves. Just hearing the announcement with its unique inflection, "Going up," gave me a sense of tension, as if I had become a little more grown-up and was in a special place.

Lunch was the coveted "kids' meal." Chicken rice with a flag stuck in it, a hamburger steak, and pudding. The moment I gripped the grown-up knife and fork and proudly carried it to my mouth was the ultimate feast. After the meal, the standard course was to be rocked on the slightly faded panda ride at the rooftop amusement park.

Oh yes, I can't forget the day I was bought a "Licca-chan doll" for my birthday. The clerk would wrap the glittering box I had longed for with practiced hands, using department store wrapping paper, and finally tie a ribbon with a snap. I stared at those magical hands without even blinking.

From the moment I got it, I was so, so happy. That night, I fell asleep hugging the box. For a while, my arms were Licca-chan's designated seat.

Decades have passed since then. Times have changed, and going to a department store has become a part of daily life. In the modern age, where you can get what you want whenever you want, every day has become like a "special occasion."

But that is precisely why I think about it. The slightly tense feeling of the "Sunday best clothes" we could only wear on special days back then, the voice of the elevator girl, and the thrill of the moment the ribbon was tied.

I wish that a little bit of that "Showa magic," which was a bit inconvenient but warm and glittering, still remained in today's era.

If I pass by a department store today, I think I will stop for a moment and let my thoughts wander to that "magical kingdom" of the past.

kotori 🕊️

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