News in Easy English: Japan gets a pipe organ the same as ones from the 18th century

Ichikawa, Chiba -- Japan's sole pipe organ reminiscent of 18th-century instruments has recently been installed at a cultural hall in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture. This was the era of composer Johann Sebastian Bach. The organ was unveiled to the media on September 24 and is housed at the Tojuro Iijima Memorial LLC Hall. Yamazaki Baking Co., which operates the hall, commissioned the organ to express gratitude towards the local community and to make the hall a cherished place for them.

The organ measures 9.4 meters wide, 13 meters high, and 4.8 meters deep, and features 2,964 pipes adorned with gold leaf. The exterior is crafted from Japanese materials like Hida cypress and Akita cedar. The cost of the organ amounts to roughly 300 million yen, or approximately $1.9 million. Munetaka Yokota, a 74-year-old organ builder, constructed the instrument after studying old Western-style organs from Japan and other countries.

Yokota designed the organ based on a 1776 organ once used in a church in Lithuania. The organ is expected to be showcased at a dedication ceremony on October 2 and subsequently played during worship services at the LLC Ichikawa Chapel on the second and fourth Sundays of each month at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m, respectively. The services are open to the public.