Okayama Melpa (I)

The Okayama Shochikuza first opened as a two-story wooden single-screener on May 15, 1946, at the third floor of the Okayama Station which the building itself was completely rebuilt following the original building being burned to the ground during the final stages of World War II.

The original owner of the Okayama Shochikuza is Fukutake Kazuji, who replied that he wanted to help the dejected citizens of Okayama regain their vitality through movies. With that quote, he formed Fukutake Kogyo Co., Ltd. (now Fukutake Kanko Co., Ltd.) and devoted all his energy to the movie theater business. During the war, Kazuji went to mainland China and became successful in the tobacco business, but returned to his hometown of Okayama just before the conclusion of the war and developed his business mainly in the ironworks. Kazuji left the irons after the war died and began to establish his own movie theater.

More movie theaters began to pop up in Okayama within a few years span. The Central Theater located on the basement of the station opened in March 1950 with 250 seats, the Kabukiza Theater opened in November 1952 with 700 seats located not far from the Shochikuza, and the Grand Theater located at the opposite side of the Shochikuza opened in March 1956 with 720 seats which also featured a soundproof ventilation system.

The original auditorium was rebuilt in 1960, and reopened in November of that same year as the Okayama Toei. Shortly after the passing of one of its later owners in 1962, four of his sons began to expand his movie business is various ways. In October 1964, they renovated the Toei and reopened as the 70mm Okayama Grand Theater later that year, featuring 70mm projection equipment as the name suggests.

In June 1988, the entire theater was converted into a quad, and reopened as the Okayama Melpa. All four screens were named “Melbas 1, 2, 3, and 4”, and were all located in different floors of the building. The original Shochikuza/Toei/Grand auditorium is Screen 3, which is the largest of the four auditoriums with 271 seats. In total, the seating capacity is 648 seats.

Screens 1 and 2 were originally rental halls, but in 1996, Screen 1 was renovated back into a rental hall to expand the complex. This lasted until its very end due to the redevelopment of the east exit of Okayama Station, the Okayama Melpa closed for the final time on January 31, 2022. The original theater was then converted into a beer garden under the name “Merpa Beer Garden”.

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