Kyoto Takarazuka Kaikan

The Kyoto Takarazuka Theater opened its doors in October 1935 as both a performing arts and a movie house, with a total capacity of 1,452 seats. It was renamed the Stateside Theater in January 1946 following the theater being requisitioned by the General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.

In August 1956, the Kyoto Scalaza chain took over the theater after an expansion which downgraded its capacity of seats to 802. At the same time, it was given the collective name the “Kyoto Takarazuka Kaikan”. Toho would later take over the theater in November 1962 and closed for a brief time in mid-1971. It was then twinned under the auditorium names “Takarazuka” (588 seats) and “La Scala” (507 seats).

Due to the loss of audience to nearby cinema complexes across Kyoto alongside the aging of the building, the management announced in September 2005 that the theater would close for the final time. Lastly operated with DTS and Dolby Digital Surround EX in both screens, the Kyoto Takarazuka Kaikan closed for the final time on January 29, 2006, screening the 1954 Japanese film “Seven Samurai” in Screen 1 and the 1931 Charlie Chaplin classic “City Lights” in Screen 2.

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