Well, the benshi performance was sold out last night when we got there an hour and a half early. We stood in the rush line and lucked out on some tickets. Japanese TV was there lensing all the gaijin standing in lines to see Midori Sawato narrate a silent movie. The film was about 90 minutes out of an original four hours and in pretty rough shape, but it was an interesting experience none the less.

I'd forgotten how much fun the PFA was to go to. People were polite in line, having little conversations about films and were quiet throughout the performance. So unlike going to the movies these days. Not a single beeper or cell phone went off during the two hours of lecture, film, and Q&A. I really think TV and video have destroyed how we watch a movie in public.