If you ask any Japanese person how they celebrate the New Year countdown, many of them will answer “Kohaku Uta Gassen”. It’s a live annual television special where the nation’s favorite music artists–divided into team red and white–battle it out in song. At the end, there is a big countdown followed by cheerful “akemashite omodetou gozaimasu” (Happy New Year)!
However, this year, I decided to do something different by heading to Yokohama Minatomirai Hall for a musical countdown–not through my television screen, but in person. The concert I attended incorporated the rich and heartwarming melodies of the grand pipe organ (affectionately named Lucy) in classical pieces from baroque to modern eras.
The finale was timed perfectly to conclude at the exact moment the clock strikes midnight, which was unbelievably impressive!
Yokohama Minatomirai Hall: https://yokohama-minatomiraihall.jp/en/index.html
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/i4apzhtvA6ukAFfj8
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