Question # 43 - Can I watch American/Foreign Movies in English When Teaching ESL in Japan?
Question # 43 - Can I watch American/Foreign Movies in English When Teaching ESL in Japan?
Foreign movies in Japan are usually shown in the language of the movie maker…Hollywood = English and the movies has subtitles.
That was my experience when I was in Japan.
More and more complexes are coming up where there are 10+ screens in one location and the seats are elevated so the guy in front of you doesn’t block your view…that was usually me, big lug that I am.
The price can be Y1000 – Y2000 depending on what you see and when you see it…as in when it came out and what time of the day.
Late showings – Y1000 ($8ish).
Snacks, Japanese style are available…including popcorn….but NOT those giant buckets.
Japanese homemade movies do NOT have English subscripts.
Since when is English the language of choice for people who do not understand Japanese? Well, it is, kind of…at least that’s what most Japanese think.
Foreigner = American!
Helpful list. Unfortunately for those who are non-English speaking foreigners Japan is not the place for you to catch up on your latest movies. Unless you are Korean.
Some other points:
If you have to watch the latest Disney/Pixar/Whatever animated movie in the theater there are usually two choices: one in English (with Japanese subtitles) or one in dubbed in Japanese.
With the advent of DVDs you no longer have to worry about accidentally picking up a movie at the video store that was dubbed in Japanese. Of course the DVD menus will be in Japanese.
And there are a select few Japanese movies that have English subtitles. Almost all the Ghibli movies have English subs (and an English track if you are too lazy to read) but other than that it’s kind of scatter-shot.
All in all, I think that Japan is a good place to catch up on those movies from long ago that you never got around to watching rather than catch the latest Hollywood has to offer. Some big hits premiere here. Some big hits take ages to get here.
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