Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, the Hibiya Open Air Concert Hall (colloquially known as “Yaon”) is an outdoor theater located in Tokyo that opened to the public in 1923. It has been revealed that the theater will be rebuilt after 2024 due to deterioration. In the past there have been renovations, but due to the extent of the deterioration the Bureau of Construction of the Tokyo Metropolitan area ultimately decided to have the entire thing rebuilt. Some of the premises in the policy laid down for the redevelopment include installing a roof over the stage and audience seats, upgrading waiting rooms and storage rooms, and overall creating more spaces of convenience for the faculty members.
Hibiya Open Air Concert Hall “Yaon” in the 1920s
During its 100 years of establishment, the Hibiya Open Air Concert Hall has been used for many concerts, balls, outdoor plays, etc., and during the war it became a place that provided entertainment to the citizens of Tokyo when other venues were destroyed. Although at one point during its history, it was temporarily closed due to the effects of the Pacific War. Many legendary live performances have occurred at Hibiya, including Carol’s disbandment concert, Candies’ disbandment announcement, and Yutaka Ozaki’s stage jump incident. In 1969, there was the start of the “10 yen concerts”, which was Japan’s first full-scale rock event and credited for developing Japanese rock to what it is today. The concerts got the name because the tickets cost only 10 yen. In 1987, Hibiya began to host “NAON no YAON”, a rock music festival held only by female musicians and staff members. To fans of music, the venue has become an indispensable place for the development of Japanese music.
Hibiya Open Air Concert Hall 100th Anniversary Commemorative Project will be held from April to November this year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its opening.
