Cinema Walk No. 2: Fujidana Shopping Street, Yokohama "Cinema Novecento"
"Cinema Walk" introduces mini-theaters in Kanagawa Prefecture. The second main feature is a unique mini-theater that boasts being the smallest in the world, consisting of a theater with only 28 seats and a trattoria.
A 10-minute walk from Tobe Station on the Keikyu Main Line or Nishi-Yokohama Station on the Sagami Railway Main Line will take you to a small shopping street bustling with locals. Fujidana Shopping Street, also known as Yokohama's downtown area, is a well-balanced mix of long-established stores that have been around since the Taisho era and new shops that incorporate the latest trends.
As I entered the back of this shopping street, which still retains a somewhat nostalgic atmosphere, my eye was caught by a signboard with a row of faces of world-famous stars. The letters on the temple-like white gate read "Cinema Novecento."
Its exterior fits perfectly with the appearance of the shopping street, giving the impression that it has been watching over this area for a long time, but it actually only opened in 2015. It has such a dignified presence that it's hard to believe it has only been open for 10 years. The owner, Katsuhiko Minowa, originally ran a cinema bar called "The Grissom Gang" in Kawasaki, but it closed in 2013 due to deterioration of the building, and he decided to open a new one here, "Cinema Novecento."
Just past the gate, you come to a narrow staircase where the walls and ceiling are covered with still photographs, giving you the feeling of stepping into the world of movies. When you arrive on the second floor, you are greeted by a reception desk that also serves as a concession stand, and then there is a spacious bar space. The lobby area of this theater is a bar, so you can have a drink right after enjoying a movie! Like Novecento (which means 1900 in Italian), this bar is also affectionately called "Trattoria" (a public restaurant) in Italian.
This theater boasts being the smallest in the world, with only 28 seats! Its size certainly makes it seem like the smallest, but it also means you're closer to the screen, making it easier to immerse yourself in the world of the movie. It offers a different experience from watching a movie at a large movie theater or at home. The purple and yellow seats that add color to the black-based theater are said to have been inherited from the Kichijoji Baus Theater, a movie theater that sadly closed down.
This theater uses 35mm and 16mm film projectors to show about three films a day, but what is particularly noteworthy is the lineup, which could be described as maniacal. The program, which focuses on film, has captured the hearts of movie fans. Foreign films that have not been released in Japan are sometimes introduced as "Cinema Novecento Distribution," so you can enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a work that can only be seen here. From favorite works that you have watched repeatedly on video, DVD, Blu-ray, and other media, to undiscovered works that are no longer available on those platforms, the lineup is unique and rarely seen anywhere else, ranging from masterpieces to obscurities.
The theater, where you can feel the director's love for movies everywhere, is loved by many regulars, some of whom even come from far away. The theater also incorporates the opinions of its audience into the films it screens and the guests it hosts during talk shows, making it a place built in solidarity between the theater, its audience, and people involved in the film industry.
Cinema Novecento is one of those "must-visit" movie theaters, whether for the films that can only be seen there, for the hidden masterpieces you've yet to see, or for the once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Cinema Walk No. 1 "Cinema Jack & Betty" is here
Cinema Walk No. 3 "Yokohama Cinemarin" is here
