Otomatsuri 2013

The time has come to revel in a new installment of festivals taking place yearly in Yokohama. This year, the event is called Yokohama OTOMATSURI 2013. You may remember my pieces on the Yokohama Triennale 2011 and the Dance Dance Dance @ Yokohama 2012. This year follows through with a music festival.

Taking place over 72 days, from September to November, the festival promises to impress again this year with its international roster of musicians, singers and artists.

As with last year’s festival, some events are free, some are not. But most are very affordable, especially considering the quality of these shows. Personally, I’ll try to attend the following:

One event that caught my attention right away is the Yokohama Pops Orchestra Baseball Symphony. It will be a concert on the theme of “baseball”. First developed in England in the 18th century, the Americans made it their national sport. It was then brought to Japan where it quickly became like a national sport as well. Baseball is a sport loved by people of all ages and nationalities. The concert will feature music that relates the history of the sport, famous Japanese high school baseball cheer songs and more. A concert destined to fans of baseball and orchestras alike. Also, people showing up in a DeNA Baystars uniform will receive a small present at the door.

Date and time: November 13 at 7 p.m.
Place: Minatomirai Hall, Main Hall
Entrance:
Arena seats (1st floor) – 6000 yen
Infield bleachers (2nd floor) – 5000 yen
Outfield bleachers (3rd floor) – 4000 yen
Over 65 y.o. – 3000 yen
Students (from elementary school to university) – 1000 yen

The Royal Guardsmen of Queen Elizabeth II, those same guardsmen who protect Buckingham Palace, will be performing at the Yokohama OTOMATSURI 2013. They will put on a parade to celebrate both the 400th anniversary of trade between Japan and England as well as the 60th anniversary of the coronation of the Queen, dressed in their most gallant uniforms usually reserved for royal weddings.

Date and time: October 13 at 12:30 p.m.
Place: Along Nihon-odori
Entrance: Free

Every year, an art event demonstrating energy-saving technologies is held around the coastal area of downtown Yokohama. Through LED lighting and other cutting-edge, environmentally-friendly technologies as well as the combined creativity of artists, the event transforms Yokohama’s nocturnal scenery into a never before seen magical nightscape.

The Smart Illumination itself will be held from October 23 to 27 all around the coastal area of downtown Yokohama. In this setting, Yokohama will hold two different music-related events: On October 23 will be “Yokohama OTOMATSURI Fanfare” in which a fanfare will perform surrounded by light, while on October 26 will take place another event called “Drum Circle”.

In 2006, Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen performed all of Beethoven’s symphonies in Yokohama, an event which received much attention in Japan. This world-famous conductor has now come back to perform Beethoven’s only opera “Fidelio”. The powerful orchestra assembled under Paavo Järvi, who can be seen more than once throughout YOKOHAMA OTOMATSURI 2013, will perform Järvi’s first ever opera in Japan.

Opera in the original language with Japanese subtitles.

Photo by Mark Lyons

Date and time: November 28 at 7:00 p.m., and November 30 at 3:00 p.m.
Place: Minato Mirai Hall
Entrance:
S seats 28,000 yen
A seats 25,000 yen
B seats 20,000 yen
C seats 15,000 yen

Please check out the official site. Even with September over, I counted more than 200 events on the programme. And some are held more than once! If you are a music lover, this is a festival you cannot miss! And definitely look forward to next year's returning art festival as well!

(Cette page en français)

Note: Please be aware that all events suggested in this entry have concluded in 2013.
Because of this, all links to the event's website have been taken down.