[What day was it today?] July 3rd = Soft Serve Ice Cream Day

The day a simple cold treat turned into a joy that creates summer memories

July 3rd is Soft Serve Ice Cream Day.

Just hearing the words 'soft serve'
brightens my mood a little.

Blue skies.
Hot roads.
In front of a kiosk.
Service areas.
Travel destinations.
Summer vacation.
Childhood memories.

That white swirl
holds more than just sweetness;
it has the power to bring back people's memories.

1. What day is it today?

July 3rd = Soft Serve Ice Cream Day.

On July 3, 1951,
at a carnival stall held at Meiji Jingu Gaien in Tokyo,
cone-style soft serve ice cream was sold for the first time in Japan.

To commemorate this,
the Japan Soft Serve Ice Cream Association designated July 3rd as 'Soft Serve Ice Cream Day'.

Soft serve ice cream is
not just a cold, sweet food.

The joy of the moment you take a bite.
The feeling of being saved on a hot day.
Memories of eating it with someone.
The atmosphere of a kiosk you happened to stop by while traveling.

It makes you remember things like that
along with it.

2. What happened?

In 1951,
soft serve ice cream arrived in Japan.

Ice cream had already been eaten before that.
However, the experience of having 'freshly made' soft serve,
dispensed from a freezer and served into a cone on the spot,
was a new experience for the general public.

The shape being swirled right before your eyes.
The fun of holding it and walking around.
The smooth, soft, and chilled texture.

I think that experience
was not just a dessert,
but a small event.

Eventually, soft serve ice cream spread to department stores, cafeterias, and coffee shops,
becoming a part of daily life in Japan.

3. What has changed?

A simple cold treat has transformed into a joy that creates summer memories.

This is where the value of Soft Serve Ice Cream Day lies.

A simple sweet has become a reward for taking a break.
A simple cold food has become a small salvation on a hot day.
A simple new flavor has become a memory of a trip.
A simple dessert has become an experience that creates smiles.
A simple bite has turned into a memory of family or travel.

Soft serve ice cream
starts to melt little by little from the moment you hold it.

Its shape does not last long.
But that is precisely why
the time spent savoring it right there becomes important.

4. What is the value?

The value that Soft Serve Ice Cream Day teaches us is that
small pleasures softly color our memories
of people.

In life,
not only big events,
but also small joys are necessary.

Feeling relieved on a hot day.
Sharing it with someone.
Eating it while traveling.
A child laughing.
Even adults can't help but soften their expressions.

Such moments
are not flashy.

But what we remember later
is often those casual scenes.

Because soft serve ice cream
disappears quickly,
it teaches us the joy of savoring this very moment.

A word for today.
The things that melt the fastest are the ones that stay in our hearts the longest.

5. Think about the step you can take now!

The step you can take today
is to properly savor a small pleasure.

Give yourself a small reward today.
Share a "delicious" moment with someone.
Try writing down one summer memory.
Look up soft serve ice cream shops in your local area or travel destination.
Remember a time that was fleeting but made you happy.
Leave a note about today's small happiness in your notebook or on a platform like note.

You don't have to chase only big happiness.
The things that soften your day
are surprisingly these small pleasures.

As an NMV

In this work,
we turned a familiar food, soft serve ice cream, into
a 'memorable summer bite' through music and video.

A blue sky.
A white swirl.
The moment you stop in front of the stand.
A small reward while on a journey.
It melts away quickly,
but it leaves a sweet memory in your heart.

This also connects to the theme of the 4th NMV/Sound Picture Scroll series,
'The path of turning invisible memories into works of art.'

Even if the food itself disappears,
the people you were with, the sky you looked up at, and the faces that smiled remain.

To give shape to those invisible memories
through words, songs, and images.

That is this sound picture scroll.

Song: 'A Summer Bite'

In this song,
I depicted not just the brightness of soft serve ice cream,
but also the time we want to cherish precisely because it melts so quickly.

I wanted to make it a light, gentle song
that feels like a summer breeze passing through.

It may not be a major event,
but it softens your heart when you suddenly remember it.

I would be happy if it becomes such a song.

▼ Listen to 'A Summer Bite' in audio only

[What day was it today?]
~The moment value was born~

Value is born when it is used, connected, and delivered.

July 3rd.
Soft Serve Ice Cream Day.

Today, why not
properly savor a small pleasure?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqNYbuS4Re4