Shochiku Yurakukan

Located in the heart of Sapporo, the Shochiku Yurakukan opened in September 1910 as a general entertainment hall, and was reverted into a movie theater in 1915. According to Itaro, he believed that the opportunity arose when Kobayaski Kisaburo, who ran the Ikuyo Resturant located a block away from the theater, approached Kushima asking of he could create a venue for the geisha who were practice both gidayu and naniwabushi at the restaurant to perform there.

The theater received a few renovations over the years, with the first in 1940 and the second on September 20, 1956. The second renovation was carried at a total cost of ¥150,000,000, which is $1,042,137 in United States money, and a second screen was added underneath the main auditorium. The second auditorium was named Yuraku Underground Theater but was renamed the SY Yuraku Theater in 1974.

A third renovation occurred in February 1991 and lasted for six months, reopening on August 10 of that same year.

Some of the most notable films the Shochiku Yurakukan ran over the years include “E.T.”, “The Goonies”, “Stand By Me”, the first few “Crocodile Dundee” films, “Batman”, “Rocky V”, “Patriot Games”, “Apollo 13”, “Lethal Weapon 4”, “Pearl Harbor”, several Harry Potters, and several Lord Of The Rings films.

Unfortunately, the February 2003 opening of the Sapporo Cinema Frontier forced the Shochiku Yurakukan to close for the final time on March 23, 2003 with “The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers” in Screen 1 and “The Twilight Samurai” in Screen 2.

The former building continued to exist as a game center called the Taito Station Sapporo Tanukikoji Store, but due to redevelopment with the adjacent Sun Department Store building and other facilities, it closed on October 31, 2017 and was demolished. The Moyuku Sapporo building was built on the site and opened on July 20, 2023.

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