Study Buddy (Challenger): Movie buff who reopened rural Japanese town’s cinema celebrates success against the odds
- Hiroaki Wada moved from Tokyo to Masuda in the western prefecture of Shimane, where he was able to resurrect a small film theatre
- This page is for students who want to take their reading comprehension to the next level with difficult vocabulary and questions to test their inference skills
Movie buff Hiroaki Wada resurrected a small cinema in the western Japanese prefecture of Shimane two years ago. Photo: HandoutContent provided by British Council
Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below:
[1] Although cinemas are increasingly becoming things of the past in rural areas across Japan, there are still those who have a strong passion for providing entertainment on the big screen for local film-goers. Such is the case with Hiroaki Wada, 34, a movie buff who moved from Tokyo to Masuda in the western Japan prefecture of Shimane, where he was able to resurrect a small cinema two years ago in a quiet town that had been without one for 14 years. Despite a harsh business climate, Wada’s desire to support the cultural hub of the town of 43,500 has only deepened.
[2] According to the Japan Community Cinema Centre, the number of cinemas in the country dropped from 887 in 2002 to 590 in 2022. Only about 20 per cent of the country’s cities, towns and villages have cinemas, and most are found in large urban areas. Nearly half of the total is concentrated in the three largest metropolitan areas centring on Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.
[3] On the whole, Japan’s film and cinema industries are on an uptick, having almost recovered to pre-pandemic levels thanks to the popularity of hit animation movies like The First Slam Dunk and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In recent years, smaller cities serving as regional hubs have begun installing their own multiplexes, with many being set up in large-scale commercial complexes.
[4] But the opening of a new cinema like the one Wada operates is a rare sight these days. Screening mainly Japanese films, his 200-seat capacity mini-theatre Shimane Cinema Onozawa has a hall with a historical air, and is of great value to the local community given that so many parts of the country are going without such facilities.
[5] Shimane prefecture is long and narrow, stretching 230 kilometres from east to west along the Sea of Japan, or East Sea. In 2008, Digital Theatre Masuda Chuo, the last remaining cinema in Masuda, closed down, leaving the western part of the prefecture without any at all. Anyone from the area wishing to go to the movies had to take the time to travel to neighbouring Hiroshima, to the southwest, or other prefectures by car or train.
[6] Wada, from Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, learned of the cinema’s closure in Shimane in 2018. At the time, he was managing Cinema Chupki Tabata, a mini-cinema in Tokyo. Chupki is known as Japan’s first “universally accessible cinema”, with audio guidance and subtitles for those with visual or hearing impairments. Through establishing a joint venture company and crowdfunding, Wada was able to restore the cinema there.
[7] Wada recalls that at first, he thought the movie house could survive on low-budget films, B-movies and documentaries. But under current business conditions, he says, “We have to rely on major productions to survive”. He makes ends meet by doing audio guide work in his spare time. Whenever he watches a film, he is drawn in by the lives of the people portrayed on screen. Watching films in a cinema, Wada says, allows him to grasp the various subtleties. “Films are part of the town’s culture and I want to keep protecting this,” Wada says.
Source: Kyodo, March 26
Questions
1. What does the “entertainment on the big screen” in paragraph 1 refer to?
___________________________________________________
2. In paragraph 1, what is happening to cinemas in rural areas in Japan?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Paragraph 2 describes …
A. why cinemas have flourished in certain cities.
B. how the Japan Community Cinema Centre attempts to preserve cinema culture.
C. the demographics of people who frequent cinemas.
D. none of the above
4. What evidence is provided in paragraph 3 to show Japan’s film and cinema industries are at pre-pandemic levels?______________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. How many film-goers can Shimane Cinema Onozawa accommodate each time according to paragraph 4?
___________________________________________________
6. In paragraph 5, how did the closure of Digital Theatre Masuda Chuo affect residents of Masuda who wanted to watch movies?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. According to paragraph 6, Chupki is Japan’s first “universally accessible cinema” because it …
A. offers features that cater to viewers with visual or hearing limitations.
B. casts actors with visual or hearing impairments in its films.
C. trains staff on how to interact with customers with visual and hearing impairments.
D. dedicates certain days to screenings that are exclusively accessible to people with visual or hearing disabilities.
8. Find a phrase in paragraph 7 that means to “to have just enough money to pay for the things that one needs”.
___________________________________________________
9. What aspect of a film captivates Wada according to paragraph 7?
A. the real-life story of the actors
B. the diverse cultures shown in films
C. the characters and their experiences
D. the techniques used to create stunning visuals
Answers
1. films shown in cinemas (accept all similar answers)
2. They are closing down. (accept all similar answers)
3. D
4. In recent years, smaller cities serving as regional hubs have begun installing their own multiplexes.
5. 200
6. After the cinema’s closure, people had to travel to neighbouring Hiroshima or other prefectures to see films.
7. A
8. makes ends meet
9. C