Among the many service businesses in Japan that have fallen upon hard times due to the coronavirus pandemic are photo portrait studios. Shukan Jitsuwa (Dec. 10) purposely timed an article to be published in autumn, when families observe the shichi-go-san festival, a traditional rite of passage for 3- and 7-year-old girls and 5-year-old boys.
Typically held each Nov. 15 or on the weekend closest to that date, the festival is an occasion for parents to celebrate the growth and well-being of their children, dressing them up in colorful kimono and visiting Shinto shrines. Naturally portrait photos are taken to mark the occasion.
According to the Teikoku Data Bank, however, so far this year 20 portrait studios have declared bankruptcy. These were not record-breaking figures per se, as the same number also failed in 2010 and 2013, indicating that the decline has been ongoing.