EXTRA
<Summary>
1. Expo Y150 is about to commence!
On Tuesday, 28 April, 2009, Expo Y150, the theme event celebrating the 150th anniversary of the
opening of the Port of Yokohama, will commence. Since the opening of the Port in 1859, Yokohama has
celebrated every fifty years with a major event. Expo Y150 is positioned as the Grand Exposition event that
takes place every fifty years to commemorate the opening.
2. Outline of Expo Y150 at the Bayside Area
At the Bayside Area, there will be three admission payable venues and five admission free venues. It is
structured to allow visitors to enjoy the event in a variety of ways against the distinctive backdrop of
Yokohama’s sea and port and its historical buildings.
– Yokohama footnotes vol.16 –
The economic ripple effects of PACIFICO Yokohama – 192.9 billion yen for all of Japan
– Events and Info –
Other festive events related to the 150th Anniversary of the Opening of the Port of Yokohama
1. Expo Y150 is about to commence!
On Tuesday, 28 April, 2009, Expo Y150, the theme event celebrating the 150th anniversary of the
opening of the Port of Yokohama, will commence. Every fifty years since the opening of the Port in 1859,
Yokohama has celebrated with a major event. Expo Y150 is positioned as the Grand Exposition event that
takes place every fifty years to commemorate the opening.
Since its opening, the Port of Yokohama has nurtured many seeds of strength that have resulted in
encounters between diverse cultures. The people of Yokohama who grew from these seeds, along with
companies and stores, artists, visual auteurs, and others with strong ties to Yokohama will come together
for the festivities, which are the accumulation of the attractions, history and future of Yokohama.
The event will be staged in the three areas that make up the city of Yokohama: the sea, the streets and
nature. The Bayside Area (around the Red Brick Warehouse Area), the origin of Yokohama surrounded by
the sea and port, will be the main venue. The Hillside Area (adjacent to Zoorasia, the Yokohama zoo,) will
be where everyone from children to grown-ups will gather in a rich natural environment, and where
workshops and community created program events will be staged. And at the Mother Port Area (around
Yokohama Station to Yamashita - Yamate Area), the shopping areas of Yokohama have joined hands and
prepared the Tanemaru Map. An area guide and special hospitality programs have also been prepared.
Published by City of Yokohama / March 2009
2. Outline of Expo Y150 at the Bayside Area
– Main area enables everyone to enjoy the variety of events –
In the Bayside Area, stretching from the Shinko District toward Yamashita Park, three admission payable
venues adjacent to the Shinko Area will be the main venues, and there will also be five admission free
venues along the Red Brick Warehouse to Yamashita Park. This is designed to allow visitors to enjoy the
distinctive scenery of Yokohama’s sea and port and its historical buildings while strolling around the
venues and taking in the various interactive exhibits, large screen theaters, events, night displays, food and
shopping.
Three admission payable venues and five admission free venues will be established in the Bayside Area,
extending from the Shinko district to the Yamashita Park area. The venues are designed to allow visitors to
enjoy the event in a variety of ways while taking in the distinctive scenery of Yokohama’s sea and port and
its historical buildings.
‹ Y150 Hajimarino mori (Forest of Beginnings) (charged venue)
At the Y150 Hajimarino mori, the main stage of the entire event, an historic exhibition of Yokohama at
the time of the opening of the port will be held, along with entertainment events. One of the highlights of
the event, a gigantic mechanical spider created by the French visual art group La Machine*1, will be shown
for the first time in Japan. Following the concept of “machines with lives”, they will put on an
unforgettable spectacular show of art, turning the streets of Yokohama into a gigantic theatrical space.
‹ Y150 Tomorrow Park (charged venue)
Tomorrow Park is a venue designed as an entertainment zone where visitors can experience and share our
future. The gigantic 20-meter diameter Earth Balloon*2 floating in the night sky is the marker of the Y150
event. In the evenings, a display of light, sound and visuals created under the editorship of the female
astronaut Chiaki Mukai will be staged. At the Futuristic Theater, the nouvelle Sci-Fi fantasy animation
BATON*3 produced by visual auteur Shunji Iwai will be shown.
‹
NISSAN Y150 Dream Front and Super Hi-Vision Theater (charged venue)
The theme is “spread compassion for Earth from Yokohama around the world”. At the Super Hi-vision
Theater, which is being researched and developed by NHK (the Japan Broadcasting Association), visitors
can experience the importance of the global environment through the extremely realistic, ultra
high-definition visuals. At the Interactive exhibit display zone presented by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., under
the theme of children and the environment, children can learn about the environment and the latest
technologies while they play.
‹ Surrounding Venues (admission free)
At Open Country, Open Port (Red Brick Site), under the theme of international and inter-city exchange,
permanent displays will be established of the five initial countries with treaties and the five sister cities in
the “Inter-city exchange square” zone, “World market” zone, and “World market gourmet” zone. The
Oosanbashi (Jetty) and Red Brick Hall 1 sites will present a wealth of resident participation programs,
Published by City of Yokohama / March 2009
exhibits, stages, workshops and others, created by various resident NPOs, NGOs, etc.
*1 La Machine, the spectacular theatrical artist group, visits Japan for the first time.
La Machine is a spectacular, revolutionary theatrical art group of approximately 50 members,
consisting of artists, designers, fabricators and technicians, based in Nantes in France. Following the
concept of “machines with lives” as a world view, they have attracted attention with their gigantic
creations and performances that transform streets into theaters. On this occasion, the creation is a gigantic
mechanical spider with a height of 12 meters. The spider is a very creative creature that weaves webs from
threads, and it will weave together the various venues to create the “Dream of Yokohama” as well as
symbolizing the network.
In Yokohama, as a symbol of Yokohama = Coexistence, a grand experimental project involving the
streets of Yokohama is being planned, focused on the Y150 venues, and La Machine will be its centerpiece.
It is the group’s first appearance in Japan, and it is being closely watched. A total of about 70 staff will be
arriving in mid-April, and they will put on a pre-event show for four days prior to the opening of Y150.
*2 Earth Balloon: HOME
The gigantic balloon with a diameter of 20 meters, floating 10 meters above the venue, has been created
under the editorship of the female astronaut, Chiaki Mukai. The night show titled HOME will use light,
sound and visuals to spread the message that Earth is the home planet to which humans will return. It
covers Earth as seen by Ms. Mukai from the Shuttle, the sense of the impending crisis of the global
environment being destroyed by humans, and the story through to re-generation. The five-minute program
is expected to be shown four times every day.
*3 Futuristic Theater: BATON
The nouvelle Sci-Fi fantasy animation BATON is the first piece of work to be produced by the video
auteur Shunji Iwai, in collaboration with the movie director Ryuhei Kitamura. Completely different from
standard animation work, it has been created using a special technique involving tracing live action shots
performed by actors as for a normal movie, and processing the visuals into animation.
Set in the not-so-distant future, when inter-planetary migration has commenced, the story begins on the
planet Abel, where humans and robots co-exist. The future, the planet, and the coexistence of humans and
robots: these themes will stimulate the imagination even if you are no longer a child. The sumptuous
casting is also an attraction. It is made up of three chapters, with each chapter being self-contained and
lasting about 20 minutes.
For more details, please visit websites bellow:
– Association for 150th Anniversary of the Opening of the Port of Yokohama
http://event.yokohama150.org/en
– Summary of Commemorative Project
http://www.city.yokohama.jp/me/keiei/kaikou/150/pdf/150en.pdf
Published by City of Yokohama / March 2009
3. Commemorative Ceremony of the 150th Anniversary of the Opening of the Port of Yokohama
The Commemorative ceremony of the 150th Anniversary of the Opening of the Port of Yokohama will
take place on Sunday, 31 May, 2009. The overall production will be supervised by the Agency for Cultural
Affairs National Arts Festival Prize winner, director Amon Miyamoto. The event will consist of two parts,
the ceremony and the original show directed by Mr. Miyamoto. Approximately 2,000 people have been
invited to the ceremony, including the Ambassadors of the USA, the UK, France, the Netherlands and
Russia (the countries with whom Treaties of Amity and Commerce were first established), the mayors of
Hakodate, Niigata, Kobe and Nagasaki (the cities that opened their ports at around the same time), and
friendship sister cities, in addition to associated people in the government and the prefecture. In addition,
approximately 2,000 residents who were selected from applicants will also participate.
The second part will be Vision! Yokohama towards the future, an original show directed by Mr. Miyamoto
(running time: 40 min.). It will use music, dance and visuals to portray the 150 years of Yokohama’s history,
along with its future. The show will include many actors and celebrities with ties to Yokohama, and will
feature 500 residents who were selected from a large number of applicants. In addition to the
commemorative event, the show will be staged twice in the afternoon, with an admission charge payable.
About the mascot character
Tanemaru is the spirit of the camphor tree (tamakusu), which stands in the courtyard
of the Yokohama Archives of History. The camphor tree has been a living witness to
the history of Yokohama since the opening of Japan and its ports 150 years ago.
Yokohama, having accepted diverse cultures and matured, will place a new seed of
strength aboard Tanemaru and set sail for the world.
vol.16 The economic ripple effects of PACIFICO Yokohama
– 192.9 billion yen for all of Japan
PACIFICO Yokohama is one of the core convention facilities of the City of Yokohama, and it has been
used for various events as an international convention facility representing Japan. It hosted the 4th Tokyo
International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) in May 2008, and for the 2010 Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, it is scheduled to be the main venue for the summit.
PACIFICO Yokohama hosted 1,252 convention events with a total of 3.5 million visitors in FY2007.
With a utilization rate of around 70%, it has recorded a highly successful record among convention
facilities around the country. Its annual economic ripple effect is assumed to be approximately 192.9 billion
yen for all of Japan, 77.2 billion yen for Kanagawa Prefecture and approximately 69.0 billion yen for the
City of Yokohama, and it has made a significant contribution toward activating the local and national
economy.
Published by City of Yokohama / March 2009
Other festive events related to the 150th Anniversary of
the Opening of the Port of Yokohama
‹ 2009 World Table Tennis Championships, Yokohama, Japan
The most prestigious international championships sponsored by the International Table Tennis Federation.
Over 1,000 players and officials from more than 150 countries will participate.
Duration/Venue: Tue., 28 Apr. ‐ Tue., 5 May / Yokohama Arena
Events:
Men’s/Women’s Singles, Men’s/Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles
Inquiries:
Organizing Committee TEL 045-640-5572
Website:
http://yokohama2009.com/
‹ Egypt’s Sunken Treasures
French underwater archeologist Frank Goddio, who has been carrying out undersea excavation of three
ancient cities named Alexandria, Canopus and Heracleion since the 1990s, will introduce the treasures of
his undersea excavations. All 490 artifacts will be shown for the first time in Japan. A large virtual reality
theater will enable you to see a replica of life in the ancient city.
Duration/Venue: Sat., 27 Jun. ‐ Wed., 23 Sep., 2009 / Exhibition Hall D, Pacifico Yokohama
Inquiries:
TEL 0570‐060‐060 (Japanese)
Website:
http://www.asahi.com/egypt/index.html (Japanese)
*Information in English, Chinese (Simplified, Traditional) and Korean is also available
About Yokohama
Yokohama lies on the peninsula around Tokyo Bay, approximately 30 kilometers (18 miles) southwest
of the capital of Japan. Home to over 3.65 million people, Yokohama is Japan’s second largest city. The
GDP of Yokohama is about 12.69 trillion yen (roughly 132 billion US dollars) with main industries being
service, real estate, wholesale, retail, and manufacturing industry. In the early period of Japan’s
modernization, the port of Yokohama developed as the gateway to the world. The port of Yokohama is
top-class in Japan in terms of trade volume even today.
The City sincerely welcomes foreign enterprises, international conferences and a wide variety of
international events. Today, the city has 8 Sister-Friendship Cities (Constantza, Lyon, Manila, Mumbai,
Odessa, San Diego, Shanghai,Vancouver) and 6 Sister-Friendship Trade Cooperation Ports (Dalian,
Hamburg, Melbourne, Oakland, Shanghai, Vancouver).
In 2009, Yokohama celebrates 150 years since its opening as a port, and out of a sense of gratitude of
the City as a whole for the achievements of the port and our predecessors, and to use this opportunity to
become a town filled with dreams and aspirations, the City is carrying out various projects including a
commemorative ceremony. In 2008, the 4th Tokyo International Conference on African Development
(TICAD IV) was held in May and the Yokohama Triennale 2008 from September to November.
The City
is also expected to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in autumn 2010.
Please address any inquiries or feedback to this newsletter to the following persons:
>Yuiko Itoh/ Masahiro Masuda Media Liaison Subdivision, City of Yokohama TEL: 045-671-3498
>Hidehiko Yamada/ Seiko Indo Japan Public Relations Institute TEL: 03-5368-0911
or [email protected]
Published by City of Yokohama / March 2009