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New Music Town promotes Koza international imageDate Posted: 2007-07-05  Okinawa City is hoping its shining new Koza Music Town will transform its image to that of an international music community dedicated to promoting both Okinawan and international music genre. The sprawling new building on the corner of Goya Intersection will be dedicated with a public Grand Opening on July 27th. The ¥7,100,000,000 project was begun in 2004 with the city envisioning a pivotal Location to attract and promote the music industry, including Koza Champruu culture, jazz, rock and roll, pop and Shima Uta folk music. Musicians are already lining up to play in the new facility. The nine-story building will have music-related commercial and business facilities on the first and second floors. A live music hall with a multi-purpose stage has been designed on the third floor. The entire fourth floor is a parking area, while the fifth through ninth floors are residential housing. Developers say the Gate 2 Street entrances will bring visitors to a series of coffee houses, event spaces, and amusement areas on the first floor. Okinawa City, which has a number of popular eisa and local folk dances, hopes to intertwine the traditional sounds with that of rock and roll bands, including Okinawa’s Orange Range Band. Critics still have words to say about the project. “We already have too many facilities in Koza, and to attract more people is hard,” says one. Others complain about a lack of free parking, noting the Mihama area offers plenty of free parking for its visitors. Still others question “can we even find artists, the kind of voices, to have here.” Okinawa City officials say everyone should be thinking and promoting the city. “Koza City is your town, and it needs one-by-one plans, opinions and support,” says a local official. |
   
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