Enjoy the beautiful and diverse sounds of the pipe organ for just 100 yen!

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File.4 Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall Yokohama Bank Presents Children's Future Music Program "Children's Organ 1 Dollar Concert"
(Miyuki Inoue / Copywriter)

The "Dollar Organ Concert" is one of the most popular events at the Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall. Literally offering the chance to hear a full-fledged organ concert in a prestigious hall for just one dollar (or 100 yen), it attracts long queues even before the doors open.
Of the eight events held annually, the August event was the Yokohama Bank Presents Children's Future Music Program "Children's Organ 1 Dollar Concert," which even babies as young as zero years old could attend. After confirming that the program wasn't just "for children" but was enjoyable for adults as well, and that there were no age restrictions for admission, I decided to go.

The session I attended allowed entry for babies as young as zero years old, so the entrance was lined with mothers pushing strollers. What lucky babies to be exposed to real music from such a young age! I'm sure they will grow up to be adults with rich sensibilities.
Incidentally, there is a designated "stroller parking area" in the lobby for children's concerts, so you can rest assured.
Admission is 100 yen for both adults and children.
Since it's a "1 Dollar Concert," you can pay with 1 dollar bills and coins, but you can also pay with IC cards such as Suica.

© Hiradate Taira

Finally, we entered the main hall.
I was a little worried because there was a long line even before the doors opened, but the large hall with 2020 seats was completely unfazed. It's best to line up early to get your preferred seat, but arriving 5 minutes before the show starts seems to be mostly fine.
I asked someone at the hall, and they said that for pipe organ concerts, if you prioritize good acoustics, the third-floor seats are recommended. If you want to enjoy it at the same height as the organ, the second-floor seats are good, and if you want to see it up close, the stage-side seats are good. It seems like it would be fun to choose according to your mood that day.
© Hiradate Taira

The organ installed in the main hall is made by CB Fisk of the United States. Its bright, radiant tone has earned it the nickname "Lucy," meaning "light." The hall itself was designed with the organ's resonance in mind, so the entire space resonates as a single instrument, creating an immersive experience where the audience feels as if they are enveloped in the organ's sound. (From the hall's website)
© Hiradate Taira

This is a carving of a seagull on a case made of Honduran mahogany. The design is wonderful and full of Yokohama-esque spirit. It's located below the pipes lined up in the center, above the music stand, so take a close look.

Since there was some time before the show started, I quenched my thirst at the drinks corner. Unlike evening concerts, the foyer was filled with bright sunlight, so a moderately chilled white wine was perfect.
By the way, a glass of wine with snacks costs 400 yen. This is pure bliss.

And then the concert finally began.
The album features familiar tunes, including pieces by J.S. Bach that you might remember learning in school, so you can enjoy it with ease.
Saint-Saëns' "Aquarium" from "The Carnival of the Animals" is striking for the mystical, glockenspiel-like sound of the celesta incorporated into the pipe organ. In "The Swan," the simple, characteristic organ tones are truly soothing…
The concert, which lasted about 40 minutes, concluded with a piece from Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance." The pipe organ, with its wide range of tones, is sometimes referred to as a "one-person orchestra," and the magnificent performance certainly lived up to that description, leaving me feeling energized and ready to tackle the afternoon!

On this day, they were selling "animal-shaped shortbread cookies" as a souvenir, with the offer of "children's organ for an extra dollar." Apparently, it was a collaboration with the "Nogeyama Zoo Carnival" event being held two days later, and they were selling a set of shortbread cookies shaped like penguins, giraffes, and lions. I'm a sucker for anything "only available now," so of course I bought some to take home. This is another one of the things I look forward to.

Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall
Organ $1 Concert

■October 10th (Wed) 12:10 PM Start: Balint Kalosi
* $1 available at night! Show starts at 7:00 PM
■November 28th (Wed) 12:10 PM Start Time: Yasuko Harada

2019
■ January 23rd (Wed) 12:10 PM Start Time Shiga Nahomi
■February 27th (Wed) 12:10 PM Start Eric Suter
■March 20th (Wed) 12:10 PM Start Time: Satoko Kawagoe

Organ Concert for Babies (Ages 0 and Up)

■September 5th (Wednesday) 11:00 start/14:00 start