[Nagano Shochiku Aioiza / Nagano Roxy] A Movie Theater with a Showa Retro Vibe

To watch the movie [Shadows Edge], I decided to go to a movie theater for the first time in my life.

...This movie theater is incredibly retro; it's a genuine time slip, haha.

In this article, I would like to write about the Nagano Shochiku Aioiza and Nagano Roxy, including:

• How it differs from a regular movie theater

• What the inside of the theater is like

• Where to park your car when visiting

and so on.

Even if you don't plan on going, please feel free to get a sense of the atmosphere if you're interested in retro movie theaters.

Location of the movie theater

The location of 'Nagano Roxy' is within a street called 'Gondo Shopping Street' in Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture.

In Nagano City, the old-fashioned shopping streets that have existed in front of local stations for a long time are located a bit away from the station, and that street alone exudes an old-school atmosphere.

Honestly, there are some closed-down zones and it is quite run-down, but it's not like there's absolutely no reason to go there.

There is a Jiro-style ramen shop that is precious to Nagano residents, and in my note, I introduced 'Soba-dokoro Togakushi' as being 'relatively empty among Togakushi soba shops.' There are also many izakayas and restaurants open late at night, so it feels like it's valued by office workers and people using it for after-hours drinks.

'Nagano Shochiku Aioiza / Nagano Roxy' is located inside the shopping street, so there is no parking lot.
The recommended nearby paid parking lot is this one.

100 yen per hour. A 4-minute walk to Nagano Shochiku Aioiza / Nagano Roxy. You can reach it by going almost straight north.
The road is not that narrow if you come from the south side. Be a little careful as there are one-way streets if you come from the north side.

Nagano Roxy's system, how it differs from other movie theaters

This movie theater isn't just retro in atmosphere.

First of all, you buy movie tickets outside! You buy them before entering the building.
The price is the same. 1,800 yen for adults. Disability discounts are also available.

The atmosphere is like a love hotel

It's the kind of place that gives off a vibe you'd usually only find in a love hotel or an old-fashioned guesthouse.
Like the way the bathroom walls are tiled.
The other theater, which is different from the one where I saw 'Shadows Edge,' also has quite an atmosphere.

It feels more like a place for lectures than a movie theater lol
It must be quite rare for a movie theater's air conditioning to have such a strong presence.

You might not get a good impression at first, but it's actually a place that solves those 'I wish this was different' moments you have at other movie theaters.

A god-tier system that other movie theaters should learn from

Once you enter the building, the theater entrance is immediately to your right.
Between the theater entrance and the building entrance, there are movie merchandise, vending machines, and blankets.

Isn't this amazing? I don't think there are many movie theaters where you can use blankets while watching a movie.

Of course, you can bring drinks from the vending machine into the theater. In fact, since they don't sell other drinks, the cost-performance is excellent.

It's not inconvenient because it's retro and old; rather, the service is so good that modern movie theaters should learn from it.
I haven't confirmed it, but it seems like you could probably bring your own. That's the level of freedom you feel here.

Since there are no seat numbers on the tickets, I asked, and they said you can sit anywhere.
Amazing (*ﾟДﾟ)!! Even though it's only possible because there aren't many people, the level of freedom is incredible!

Including me, there were only 5 or 6 people in the theater. There are about 100 seats.
There's no such thing as a higher price for back seats, and it feels like you're looking at the heads of the people sitting in front of you.
Because there are so few people, you can even put your luggage on the seat next to you.

The screen isn't exactly large, but once the movie starts, it's all the same.
As I've mentioned in 'Development Life Discover' before,movie theaters other than 4DXdon't reallyaffect how interesting a movie is,no matter how big the screen is or how powerful the sound and visual effects are.

It might vary from person to person, but that's how I feel, so at least for me, a community center-sized place like Nagano Roxy is no problem.
And the movie was actually interesting, too.

If I had to name a drawback, it's just that the back door sometimes creaks, probably because it's old. But you stop noticing that halfway through the movie.

To summarize the features of Nagano Roxy:

• Free seating

• Low drink costs & a wide variety of choices thanks to vending machines

• Blankets are available

• Parking is paid (100 yen per hour)

To think there was a movie theater like this in Ueda City too

I thought, 'There can't be that many retro movie theaters like this, right?' but it turns out there was one even closer lol. That is the 'Ueda Eigeki' in Ueda City.

I quoted this from Google Maps, but maybe because it was taken on a mysteriously cloudy day, the retro feel is even more intense lol.

I used to go here a few times in the past to see movies like Detective Conan and Bayside Shakedown. Now, I took a quick look at their site, and they are showing obscure, minor films I don't really know.

The theater has been used for films like 'A Bolt from the Blue,' directed by Gekidan Hitori.

When I saw Princess Mononoke, I could start watching from the middle of the screening, or stay seated and watch the next showing too; that sense of freedom feels nostalgic now.

In conclusion

In the days before TOHO Cinemas or Aeon Cinemas, I feel like it was normal to have buildings that were 'just movie theaters.' So, I wonder if most prefectures in the countryside have one or two of these?

If I hadn't seriously been watching Shadows Edge, I probably never would have come to this movie theater in my life. But it's a place I'm glad I learned about, thinking, 'There are movie theaters like this too.'

In a time when modern movie theaters are completely systematized and feel a bit lacking, this level of freedom, which 'scratches an itch' you didn't know you had, was full of elements that made me want to keep coming back, and I was drawn in.

If there's a movie I seriously want to see, I'd like to keep looking for them and go to this 'Nagano Roxy' again.