Freelance Announcer Aika Kanda: “This Spring, I Accepted My Farewell”

My first CHANEL

Spring is the season of encounters and partings. The latter, in particular, comes suddenly only to those with whom we still want to be together. This spring, I parted ways with “Mr. in Charge.

CHANEL is the dream of women all over the world. the founder of the brand, Coco Chanel, proposed clothes that emphasized ease of movement, such as suits made from sportswear fabrics, at a time when women had to wear corsets, a severe form of dress. She supported women’s advancement in society and revolutionized the fashion world.

When I was in high school, I learned about the origins of Chanel from her biography and decided to buy my first CHANEL on my own when I was able to live on my own earnings alone. In my mid-30s, the time finally came. （I went to CHANEL in Ginza with the feeling that I had finally arrived at the right place. At that time, the clerk who served me was the “person in charge” who had supported my shopping for nearly 10 years until this spring.

No matter how much I admire a brand, I lose interest in buying it if the customer service is clumsy or the clerk is overzealous. I am a person who places importance on the price I pay being in proportion to the service I receive, and if it is not in proportion, I will think, “Is the brand just a name? If not, I think “just because I work for a great brand, don’t think I’m great too! I’ll never buy from you again! (I’ll never buy here again!).

However, the sales representative was very pleasant to me and suggested a pink bag, which is the theme color of my life. My first CHANEL bag in pink, which I will remember for the rest of my life, and the good memories of the purchase added to it, still reigns in my closet as an unshakable keepsake.

At my level of living, I had no need to wear an expensive CHANEL at all. However, thanks to the person in charge, CHANEL became a place where I could buy a treat for myself, a place where I could learn about first-rate products and customer service, and a brand with which I wanted to have a lifelong relationship.

As a result, I have shopped a lot in the past 10 years. Even if I don’t really want to buy something, I can’t help but think, “I really want it!　I bought a product when I thought I wanted it, even if I didn’t think I really wanted it. I bought what I wanted even if I didn’t really want it, because I thought that the sales might determine my evaluation in the company.　I have never heard of such a fact.

I had never heard of such a fact, but if so, I thought I should return the favor to the person in charge who had given me color in my life. I thought I was killing two birds with one stone, since I was the one who came up with such an idea and the woman who was addicted to host clubs, but it was also true that I would be able to keep these masterpieces on hand that I could use for the rest of my life.

He was the one and only.

But this past April, the person in charge was suddenly transferred to a new store. He was transferred to a duty-free store in an international airport.

What? I couldn’t help but exclaim, “What? (I can’t go there at all!).　(You can’t go there at all!) I can only stop by the airport store when I go abroad. I didn’t want to buy a luxury item before my trip and carry it around with me all the time!

Finally, it was time to put an end to my relationship with CHANEL. Maybe it was a sign from God that I should not spend any more money on CHANEL. How much did I spend? A chance to have an affair!　I even wandered the streets of Ginza to find a brand other than CHANEL that would energize me. However, I was not feeling good about it.

For me, there was no brand that could replace CHANEL. It was the first brand I entered as a medal of honor when I finally became a full-fledged man. It was CHANEL that walked with me through happy times and sad times. And there was always a person in charge, who brought me together with masterpieces.

It was a perfect opportunity. I would like to take a bird’s eye view of my relationship with CHANEL, while expressing my gratitude to the person in charge. I can’t help but think what a luxurious and foolish time I’ve had, and I’m fine with it. If you think it was a luxurious but necessary part of your life, you can step in again when the person in charge comes back.

Farewells make people grow. This spring, I chewed on those words as I made up my mind to move forward. I will have a little fun with the person in charge at the duty-free store at the airport only during the summer vacation, the New Year vacations, and a few more times when I go to Hawaii.

Aika Kanda was born in 1980 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Gakushuin University with a degree in mathematics, she joined NHK as an announcer in 2003, and left in 2012 to become a freelance announcer. Since then, she has been active mainly in variety shows, and currently appears regularly as the main MC of the daytime TV program “Poka Poka” (Fuji Television Network).

Her first book, ” Where are you going on the road called Royal Road? is now on sale by popular demand!

From “FRIDAY” May 1 and 8, 2026 issue