Going to the movies in Japan is a totally different experience than in America. There are so many cultural differences to be aware of, but once you get those down, the movies are a great place to practice your hard-earned Japanese.

Here are some genres of movies you might want to see:

スリラー thriller
コメディ comedy
ロマンチック・コメディ romantic comedy
ホラー映画 （ほらーえいが）horror film
ドキュメンタリー documentary
アニメーション animation
戦争映画（せんそうえいが） war film
西部劇 （せいぶげき）western
ＳＦ映画 （エスエフえいが）science fiction film
外国映画 （がいこくえいが）foreign film

The first major difference you will notice when you look up showtimes is that foreign movies have two types: subtitled and dubbed. The kanji for each will be next to the movie title on the list of showtimes.

字幕 （じまく）Subtitled
吹替 （ふきかえ）Dubbed

When you know which movie you would like to see you can buy a ticket at the counter by saying:

「Movie Name」を大人２枚ください。
Movie Name を　おとな　にまい　ください。
Two adults for “Movie Name”
Literally: “movie name + adult + 2 + please”
Note: 枚（まい） is the counter used for flat, thin objects, so it is used for movie tickets.

If you are a college student you can ask if they have a discount, which they usually do.

学生割引はありますか？
がくせい　わりびき　は　あります　か？
Is there a (college) student discount?
Literally: “student + discount + は + exist + か”

Japanese theaters usually cost about 1500 to 1800 yen per movie. If you get a discount for Ladies day (usually Wednesdays) or for being a college student, you will probably pay around 1100 yen. So be sure to bring your student ID!

If you are too late to the theater, the ticket office might say:

申し訳ありません、この映画の座席はすでに満席です。
もうしわけありません、この　えいが　の　ざせき　は　すでに　まんせき　です。
I'm sorry, but all of the seats for this movie are full.
Literally: “apologize, + this + movie + の + seat + は + already + full occupied + です”

But if there are seats available, you will run into the next major difference in Japanese movies theaters: You can choose your seats!

どちらの席になさいますか？
どちら　の　せき　に　なさいますか？
Where would you like to sit?
Literally: “which + の + seat + に + do + か”

In most theaters, they will have a screen at the ticket counter with a seating chart that looks something like this:

It will show all the available seats for that particular showtime and you can choose where you would like to sit. Some theaters even have special “pair seats” for couples that are kind of like a big couch. I recommend these if you are on a date!

Once you have chosen your seat, they will direct you to a certain screen:

スクリーン５へどうぞ。
すくりーん　ご　へ　どうぞ。
Go ahead to screen (theater) 5.
Literally: “screen + 5 + へ + go ahead”

Now enjoy the movie!

If you are seeing a comedy or something with a bit of humor you might notice another big cultural difference in Japan: The movie theater will be silent, even if everyone is trying their best to hold in their laughter. This was a rude awakening to me as I love to laugh with everyone in the movie theater, and my first movie in Japan left me feeling awkward with my big American laugh in a silent theater…

Lastly, in Japan, everyone stays in their seats until the very end of the credits. This is to show respect for all the people who made the movie. It was hard for me, as someone who usually has to pee the moment the movie ends. Go beforehand!
If you enjoyed the movie, you can tell the people you are with by saying:

おもしろかった！
It was great!
Literally: "was interesting!"

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This lesson was written by Cassy L., a guest contributor: