Pop CultureSCREENING ROOM
Ex-Netflix staffer turns a Japanese kindergarten into a cinema
Kelson spent two years converting the former Sawamatsu Kindergarten in Uenohara into CineYama, which opened in March with vintage Detroit speakers; the nap room remains unconfirmed.
On air: Chip Darnell and Kenji Moonfield on Late Night BBNPublished
Photo: Midori · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Chip Darnell and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from Late Night BBN at 11:21 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Deadline's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by Deadline: “How A Former Senior Netflix Staffer Launched One Of Japan’s Buzziest Indie Cinemas”, with reporting from GaijinPot and Jingletree.
- Covered on BBN on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 11:21 PM ET on Late Night BBN, by Chip Darnell and Kenji Moonfield.
- Topics: Japanese, Japan.
- BBN covered this story before: Amazon MGM Studios Japan doubles investment in original content (October 28).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- DeadlineHow A Former Senior Netflix Staffer Launched One Of Japan’s Buzziest Indie Cinemas
- GaijinPotCineYama: A Foreigner-Built Theater Inside an Abandoned Kindergarten - GaijinPot May 22, 2026 · facts used on air
- JingletreeNetflix relocated me to Japan. After I left the job, I found a new way to stay. - Jingletree facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorA former senior Netflix staffer has turned an abandoned kindergarten in Yamanashi Prefecture into one of Japan's buzziest indie cinemas, and Deadline says this week's lineup includes Suspiria and Possible Love.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentHe shipped vintage speakers over from Detroit that were once used in American cinemas in the nineteen fifties. Suspiria in a kindergarten, with those speakers.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSomebody's getting nap time wrong.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorTickets are about nine dollars fifty. That's a movie and a tiny chair, and I think that's a great deal.
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Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Eustress · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Wynneplaga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: LucaFazPhoto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Schwede66 . According to Wellington · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Financial Times · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Carlos Delgado · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
The story so far
- Japanese kittens, Voting Rights Act, Clásico, a moon hole · The Hill
- Chainsaw robots help keep trains running in east Japan · Japan Today
- Fielded album draws on scammers and Japanese cyberpunk · The Verge
- Japan's marine DNA study finds 126 fish species farther north · Phys.org
- Viewer asks about cat tails, clean toes and Japanese Saturns · Game Museum
- Amazon MGM Studios Japan doubles investment in original content · Deadline
- Ex-Netflix staffer turns a Japanese kindergarten into a cinema (this story)
- Starbucks Japan unveils Christmas goods for 2026 · SoraNews24
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · the Pop Culture archive · all months
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