I have written about going to the movies with a Smith’s School of English student before, such as in the post Watching Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with a Student. Although I like going to the movies in Japan with others, I also enjoy going alone. With a good movie, some caramel popcorn and a soda, I am a happy man watching one whether with others or by myself. (^.^)
On Friday, July 6, I went to see the latest Spider-Man movie, The Amazing Spider-Man, by myself at TOHO Cinemas at the shopping mall Nishinomiya Gardens in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. This is my favourite place to watch movies. The theater is nice and the train station nearest to Nishinomiya Gardens, Hankyu Nishinomiya Kitaguchi Station, is only 2 local train stops from Hankyu Tsukaguchi Station. Hankyu Tsukaguchi Station is the nearest train station to both my home in Tsukaguchi and my English conversation school in Tsukaguchi, Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi (スミス英会話 塚口校).
Before going to the movie theater, I checked TOHO Cinemas’s web site to make sure The Amazing Spider-Man was playing and the starting times. I wanted to see a late show. I saw that I could see one in 2D starting at 8:30 p.m or in 3D starting at 9:10 p.m. I chose to watch it in 3D and was at the theater before 9:00 p.m. When I arrived, I was suprised to see that the ticket buying area had changed from being a long counter with several staff members selling tickets to a small counter with only one staff member and several ticket machines nearby. I proceeded to a machine and bought my ticket there. It was very easy so I liked it. Everything was in both Japanese and English. I chose the movie that I wanted to watch and the seat that I wanted to sit in. The machine showed what seats were available in the theater. There were quite a few available seats to choose from. I chose an aisle seat in the center of the theater with nobody sitting beside me or in front of me. I paid ¥1,600. The 3D glasses came out of the machine in a plastic wrapping and looked new. Not long afterwards, I was sitting in my seat munching on some caramel popcorn, drinking some ginger ale and watching the movie. (^.^)
I enjoyed The Amazing Spider-Man. The actors were different from the ones in the last Spider-Man movies and they did a good job. There is a memorable scene where Peter Parker asks Gwen Stacy (a fellow high school student) out which is funny and cute. This movie portrays how Peter Parker gets his superpowers and becomes Spider-Man. The story of how he becomes Spiderman resembles that of the first of the Spider-Man movies made, however in this movie, there is a difference in what Spider-Man can physically do. There is also something that he uses which gives the movie a touch of modernity which I liked. I don’t want to spoil things by telling you what those things are. I think it would be better if you would find out yourself.
I enjoyed the 3D and the 3D glasses were light and comfortable to wear. After watching the movie, I was going to hand the 3D glasses to a staff member because I had done so before when I’d watched Avatar and Alice in Wonderland in 3D at the same movie theater. However, the staff member told me to keep them and that I could use them again to watch other 3D movies. I guess that the glasses had been included in the ¥1,600 price. They’re mine and I can use them again! Great! I think this new way is better than the old way. I no longer have to wear glasses that were worn by others before anymore when watching movies in 3D.
The next movie that I’ll be going to see at the movies is the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises at the same movie theater, hopefully this week. I’m looking forward to that! (^.^)
Derek
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