JOETSU, Niigata Prefecture This city known for heavy snowfalls is also home to a more than century-old movie theater that has undergone several reincarnations to survive economic woes, natural disasters and other problems.
An Isumi Railway train bears a logo designed in the image of the Kumagawa express train to provide encouragement for Kumagawa Railway Co. (Provided by Isumi Railway Co.)
In business for more than a century, Takada Sekaikan, one of Japan s oldest movie theaters, reached out to a struggling entity trying to stay on the rails during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
One Sunday in mid-October, many people lined up in front of the theater in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, to see a special attraction.
The comedy-horror film to be screened was “Densha o Tomeruna: Noroino 6.4 Kilometers” (Do not stop the train: Haunted 6.4-km track,” created by Choshi Electric Railway Co., based in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.