Assigned Seating? My first experience with Japanese movie theaters.

With a crushed resolve I paid for my overpriced corn chips with cheddar goo. Yum. Then I proceeded to my next challenge: understanding the ticket ripper dude when he told me which room.

Actually that wasn’t so difficult thanks to my proficiency with Japanese numbers, and the fact that the LED signs above each room were pretty clear.

Finally, I stepped into the screening room and there it was — My very first glimpse at the inside of a Japanese movie theater. My first impression: pretty normal. My second impression: Cool there’s no seats in front of the screen. THANK YOU JAPAN! Thank you. Unfortunately for us U.S. citizens, our country is too far gone in its ideals of capitalism — read: sell as many tickets as possible per show — to care about how uncomfortable it is to be craning your neck back for 2 hours, and to pay for those 2 hours of breathing their air conditioning, mind you.

I was extremely happy to see every seat was a good seat. The seats were also very comfortable and there was amicable space between every row. There was barely any people, so I felt tempted not to seat where I had chosen… just for kicks. But I ended up being a responsible citizen and sat in my assigned seat.

Hey, you never know how strict the staff may be with this whole “use your assigned seat, ma’am” situation. Fortunately, the ticket clerk had recommended a seat right in the middle of the room, so I was super comfy and had a great view.

The movie was great, the quality of the screening was great and the quality of the sound was great. Or should I say, the quality of the silence was great. It’s not a Japanese production if it doesn’t have long periods of silence in it. Although I couldn’t understand 80% of the dialogue, I was ecstatic to find out there were bits that had been filmed in NASA’s Florida Space Center. ENGLISH! Plus, the emotions were simply there. Yes, I cried. Get over it.

Everything else went as per usual for any movie theater.

I did note, though, that the staff didn’t turn on the lights until the credits were over. I had heard this happens in Europe as well, but I was glad to experience it firsthand. People actually sat through the entirety of the credits, and I actually learned a thing or two about the amount of staff that is needed for even the smallest of things in a movie.

After that learning experience… cue the customary dash for the toilets. What is it about movie theaters and the strong need to pee after a movie? Do they slip diuretics into your drink so that you use their bathrooms to justify the insane over-pricing of everything in it?

I digress.

If the theater at AEON Mall were a person, and I were writing them a thank you note for the experience — here’s how it would read.

Dear Warner Mycal at AEON Mall Kusatsu,

You rock!

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Your new fan, 63.