Movies in Japan: Where, when and what to watch

Are you interested in movies in Japan?
Are you looking for information on which films are showing right now in Japan, or wanting to know upcoming new Japanese films before anyone else?

I think watching Japanese movies (or international movies with Japanese voice-over or subtitles) is one of the best ways to get to know the Japanese culture and learn Japanese language.

There are 3,561 movie screens in Japan as of the end of December, 2018 and 1,192 movies (613 Japanese films and 579 foreign films) were screened in Japan in 2018. (日本映画製作者連盟(The Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan))


By the way, do you still go see a movie in the theatre?
In the movie theatre, you can feel the audience around you and their reactions to the scenes.
Having a day off on a rainy day (or a freezing cold day)? Go see a movie!

I know, a movie ticket in Japanese cinemas is a bit pricey, isn't it?
But I was surprised to know that the price hadn't been changed for 26 years until June this year when I read the following article:
Japanese cinema ticket prices go up for first time in 26 years
When I left Japan more than two decades ago, a standard movie ticket price was already JPY1,800. I was shocked that I could watch a movie for NZ$5 on Super Tuesdays in New Zealand cinemas at that time.

There are some discounts available for students, seniors or cinema members, or on special days/services depending on the cinema or region. Also your credit card and/or smartphone companies may offer some movie discounts for users.
Ask around or check your local cinema's website if they offer/accept any discount.


Here is a list of websites where you can find what to, where to and when to watch movies in Japan!

Note: The pages are in Japanese, but you can read them in English by using Google Translate:
=> How to read Japanese websites in English

What to watch:

Where to watch:

When to watch:
First, find a cinema/movie theatre you want to go by visiting one of the Cinema Search links above.
Search the cinema there and the cinema details page will show the screen times for each movie.


I hope the above information is helpful to you.
Thank you for reading this post!

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