The Shizuoka City’s Shimizu Cultural Center, ‘Marinart,’ is conveniently situated approximately three minutes walk from JR. Shimizu Station, and its modern, glass-fronted building is easily visible from the station. It is home to Shizuoka Prefecture’s only professional orchestra, the Shizuoka Symphony Orchestra, and great hopes are held for its future as a center for citizen participation in the promotion of cultural activities. The main characteristic of its external appearance is its glass frontage. It is connected to the station by a covered corridor, providing all-weather access from that direction. Both the Main Hall (1,513 seats) and the Small Hall (292 seats) are fitted with theater seats by Kotobuki Seating.
View of the Main Hall immediately prior to the opening ceremony on August 1, 2012. 500 local people applied to participate in the opening ceremony and the first-floor seating is largely filled. The event commenced with creative ballet, followed by a welcome speech, congratulatory speeches, an introduction to the facility and then a performance by a world-famous pianist, offering a varied program that was well received by the audience. The Main Hall boasts remarkable acoustics; the interior has a soft, wood finish that highlights the sophisticated red of the seating. The first and second floors combined offer a total of 1,513 seats while the ground floor alone has 714 seats, allowing it to be used as a mid-sized hall.
View of the Small Hall where a free celebratory concert was held after the opening ceremony. As soon as the doors were opened, all 292 seats were taken.
(Left) Foyer of the Small Hall (orange-walled area in the rear). (Right) The view of Shizuoka’s beautiful mountains from the 3F Foyer, looking out over the corridor connecting the Hall with the station.
View of ‘Marinart’ from the seaward side. Its popularity is apparent from the number of people visible inside.