Yakapin

Living in Japan for four years has brought a lot of delights and unforgettable experiences, yet there are certain things I miss so much from home. One of these is the cinema culture. I was that kid who was stuck on the TV screen growing up, and that young adult who enjoyed going to the cinemas with friends and family to enjoy a good show. 

I have always loved watching stories unfold or figuring out the next scenes that might happen as the films progressed. However, here in the city where I live, it is rare to see a wide selection of films at the cinema. Can you imagine, even the film Wicked came almost six months after the rest of the world had seen it already? 

I’m not saying this is the same scenario across Japan, but this is the reality I am living in now. For someone who loves watching films, I satisfy my cravings through streaming platforms. But this has started to become a limited option as well. Many of the online streaming platforms are now having country-locked selections, which means that in my region, I get a lot of local Japanese shows and even some international ones, but with no English subtitles. The agony!

But kidding aside, I want to share the biggest differences I’ve noticed when I moved here.

1. Be quiet. Do not disturb.

I know that this sounds like a common courtesy observed in any theater anywhere else. But, nope, this has been the biggest caveat I have with the cinema culture here. This courtesy extends to even reacting to comic moments in a movie or a surprised reaction from a jump scare! Yup, I have been reminded to be quiet and not to disturb others. It felt so restricting as I wanted to enjoy the movie, most especially if I was watching a comedy film. Like, how should I hold my laughter? It might come out the other way, right? But jokes aside, this knowledge has made me overly conscious at times when I watch a film in theaters. 

Then others might say that this is just the practice in my town, and maybe it is more lax in the bigger cities, perhaps like in Osaka and Tokyo. But still, this has been a great shock for me. 

2. Standing up only after the credits are done

Personally, I think this is a good practice. I’ve never really seen people back home finish the credits unless it’s a Marvel show or a DC film because they are expecting some short clip or an after-credits preview to another film. But here, everyone waits for the credits to finish before standing up and leaving. It’s a nice courtesy and shows respect to the people who worked hard in creating these films. 

3. Film Merchandise

I’ve never really seen a consistent cinema practice of having film merchandise for sale during a screening back in the Philippines. But here, there is a designated area for filmgoers to grab a souvenir for a show they watched. I don’t mean merchandise only available during a premiere; most of the merchandise will be available for a while. There are even some instances where some merchandise is already available even before the first screening of a certain film. This kind of experience makes so much sense as I have witnessed how many Japanese like bringing home omiyage (souvenir) or what we call pasalubong in Filipino. This would be an interesting feature if ever it is done back home, but gosh, extra gastos for someone like me who likes going out to watch films. 😀

4. Expensive and more expensive

Aside from that restricted movie-watching experience, the cinema here (well, at least in my area) is so expensive! There are limited cinemas in my small suburban residence and more so limited movies being shown here, yet the prices for one show are already worth that of a Director’s Club (for SM Cinemas back home) or even an IMAX experience. 

This makes me understand how buying CDs and DVDs is still a big practice here. Many of the Japanese adults and students I know prefer buying DVDs of films to watch at home. It seems that it is a much cheaper option, plus some of them said that they feel more comfortable watching at home as they can react the way they want without needing to be overly concerned about the people around them. I guess some Japanese also feel the same way I do when I go to the cinemas here, but maybe because it is a part of their shared cultural experience, they just follow what is expected of them. 

How about you? Have you ever experienced watching a film in Japan? How was your experience? Are there some practices that surprised you as well, or perhaps one that you wish were the same back home?