Cinema in Japan! A UK comparison.
When I lived in the UK, my family and I often went to the Cineworld cinema in Stevenage, which is also the town where I was born. I know, it’s quite a challenge being born in a town famous for having the highest rate of teen pregnancy! But we can’t win them all.
Cineworld in Stevenage was my go-to cinema for any new film that caught my eye, and I visited this place for decades while growing up. I don’t remember the last film I saw there before coming to Japan, but I can easily visualize the place as I sit at my desk waiting for my first class of the day.
While tickets are pricey, which is standard in the UK, they can be purchased online or at the food counter. I appreciate that QR codes can be used to make the experience smoother, but a small part of me misses getting a physical ticket. Inside the cinema, there's a Baskin-Robbins, which I had only eaten at maybe once before coming to Japan. It's quite expensive, and generally, I prefer Ben & Jerry's. I am a Phish Food fangirl all the way!
There is also a Costa Coffee located inside, along with a pick-and-mix wall where you can create a bag of overpriced treats. I must admit, I've made two bags and passed one off as if it were for my sibling. The snack offerings are incredibly pricey, with options that include salted popcorn, sweet popcorn, various sizes of drinks, and a Tango Ice Blast machine, which is my go-to drink. They also offer hot dogs, nachos, and, occasionally, film-themed snacks. Additionally, you can purchase bags of branded candy and premium popcorn from gourmet companies.
The screens are split to the right and the left of the lobby. The right side was the original and is where the IMAX and new movies land. You usually rock up to the side you need your ticket is scanned and you can get yourself seated your screen a good twenty minutes before the movie starts and watch all manner of marketing. Trailers for the movie will start ten minutes prior to the movie and sometimes the start of the movie overruns the scheduled time. I recently learnt on this trip that apparently it is odd to some to have bathrooms beyond the ticket barrier. But at least in my cinema there were many. I think around two sets of bathrooms on each side so you can run to them quickly If your tango ice blast vanished before the movie even starts.
I am a fiend when it comes to eating all my snacks prior to the movie starting and then regretting my decision and lack of control throughout the long movie. I am unsure why I am like this! I even tried buying extra large options and still ran out midway. My cinema would often host reruns, musical theatre nights and sometimes foreign movie nights. In the last decade of my life, they would often show anime movies in both sub and dub, naturally there is only one correct choice here. But my cinema catered for most. It was also conveniently placed next to the bowling alley and arcade, and I would happily play pool or waste my coins to try winning at stacker.
What about Japanese cinema? How does the experience compare? After spending nine months in Japan, a movie finally came to theatres that I was interested in seeing. Unfortunately, many anime films were released during my time here, but without subtitles, I couldn't enjoy or understand them. I was heartbroken that I missed the chance to see "Mononoke 2" on the big screen or "The Rose of Versailles," especially to experience Hiroyuki Sawano's score with a high-quality sound system. Fortunately, I will be attending his anniversary concert next month, which I'm incredibly excited about!
I purchased tickets for the movie online, allowing me to select my seats and showtime ahead of my arrival. Like the UK, a QR code streamlined the experience for me, especially since the machine I encountered lacked a language option and my Japanese is limited.
One of the first things I noticed that was different was the merchandise stand. In Japan, movie screenings often come with exclusive limited-edition merchandise. Popular movie items are usually distributed to early attendees, and any remaining merchandise is sold afterward. This practice also applied for Western films; for example, I saw a lot of merchandise for "Wicked."
In contrast, in the UK, only some movies offer merchandise, and it's always first come, first served. One notable instance was the release of "Detective Pikachu," where Pokémon cards were given out in blind packs as a nod to the trading card game. These limited-edition Detective Pikachu cards have become rare and can sell online for a respectable amount. I was fortunate enough to get a few cards for myself and score some for my friend, who I had dragged along for company.
The cinema in Japan reminded me a lot of my own Cineworld back at home so it was a nostalgia trip for me. Another difference I noted was that you had to wait till your movie was called to start entering your screen. The next movies are displayed on a board and like a plane at an airport they display not ready or ready signs for when people can go find their seats.
Many people might be wondering about the snack options. The snack situation at the cinema I visited was somewhat different, but not drastically so. While there was no ice cream parlour or Costa Coffee, I imagine that larger cities or different chains might offer those options.
I plan to visit the highest-rated cinema in my city, located in the east side, eventually. The cinema I went to provided reasonably priced snacks, including salted popcorn and butter soy sauce-flavoured popcorn. The salted variety is quite mild, while it took me a moment to get used to the butter soy sauce flavour.
They also offered long churros in various flavours, which were delicious, along with nachos, hot dogs, and a variety of drinks. Overall, the snack options were quite like what you might find elsewhere, just with some variations in flavours and prices. It was a pleasant change that the prices were not exorbitant.
The cinema was large and spacious, with plenty of legroom. In fact, the sign saying "Do not kick the front seat" seemed unnecessary, as I couldn't even reach the front seat. Another notable difference is that people take their rubbish outside the theatre to a collection point, where it is recycled properly. The food vendor provides cute snack boards, making it easy to carry all your treats. I appreciate this because, in UK cinemas, the floors often look like war zones after a movie, and I always feel bad for the cleaners.
Lastly, regarding the trailers, there were only a handful of them along with a few sponsored advertisements, totalling about ten minutes at most, literally half of what I'm used to. Also, when entering the screen, the lights were already dimmed, which differs from the UK, where the lights stay on until it's time to start the trailers.
Overall, my experience was quite pleasant. It was not too dissimilar from what I was used to in the UK, but everything was cheaper, which is always a positive. The snacks were different but not too far from what I'm accustomed to, and the cinema was organized and clean. I would highly recommend checking out a subtitled movie if you find yourself in Japan. Western films are available either subtitled or dubbed, and the subtitled versions are simply the original movies with Japanese subtitles. This allows you to enjoy the film while taking a small break from hearing Japanese and enhances the overall experience.
