At the Movies

I went to my first movie in Japan today, and it was almost unsettling. The theatre wasn't unlike the newer ones in America (much like Point Cinema or Lakeville 16) except for the fact that the seats didn't rock/recline at all, though that does seem like a fairly American thing now that I think about it. One difference here is that when you buy your ticket, you also select you seat (me and the friend I went with were basically told that the only remaining seats were on the side and found ourselves a bit removed from the bulk of the patrons... gaijin section?), and the people, or rather the way the people acted (and here en lies the unsettling bit). During the movie no one made barely any sounds. It didn't matter if it was funny or scary, the most I heard was a giggle, maybe two, during the funniest parts, or a slight intake of breath at the scariest part. I never heard a wrapper or whispering or anything... it was really weird, but also kinda nice. It was nice not having the person who's phone rings, or the people behind you who are talking, or the clapping at any part of the movie (I do not understand this), but the really weird part is that this silence carried on though the credits and while the people were filing out of the theatre. I have been at movies with only one other person in the theatre, and that was louder than this!

Too bad it cost 1800 yen (~$18) for a matinee!