Just an hour west of Shinjuku, tucked away in the misty hills of Uenohara, Yamanashi, an abandoned kindergarten has been reborn as one of Japan's most enchanting micro-cinemas. CineYama is the passion project of Matthew Kelson, a former Netflix executive from Detroit who transformed a decaying school building into a destination for cinephiles of all stripes.

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The journey itself sets the mood. After stepping off a single-platform station on the Chuo Line, you'll wander through a rain-kissed town, past overgrown greenery and a Ghibli-esque tunnel, before arriving at a yellow-gated compound frozen in time. Vintage playground equipment still dots the yard, and shoe cubbies for indoor slippers (uwabaki) remain by the entrance — but instead of children's laughter, you'll hear the hum of a neon popcorn sign and Altec Voice of the Theatre speakers.

From Rot to Revival

When Kelson first laid eyes on the former Sawamatsu Kindergarten, it was a disaster zone. 'The interior was moldy and rotten, with insects skittering all over the place,' he recalls. Undeterred — this wasn't his first school-to-cinema conversion, having done the same back in Detroit — he spent two gruelling years gutting and rebuilding the space with dogged DIY determination and help from the local community.

The result is a labour of love. The 43-seat screening room, bathed in deep forest green, is anchored by vintage Altec speakers that have been the gold standard of American cinema sound since the 1950s. Warm lighting, retro film posters, tables crafted from repurposed movie reels, and kaiju figurines lurking in the bathrooms make every corner a discovery.

Eclectic Programming with Heart

Kelson's curatorial philosophy is refreshingly egalitarian. Recent lineups have swung from David Lynch and Werner Herzog retrospectives to Joel Schumacher's The Phantom of the Opera, a documentary about local currencies, and the latest anime drama from Yoshitoshi Shinomiya. An Andrei Tarkovsky retrospective ran alongside a Bluey in Cinema special for families.

'The line-up is going to stay mixed,' Kelson says. 'I'd like CineYama to be more than an arthouse theatre. I hope it can be a place where families want to come with their kids, and a place where older local people can enjoy cinema too.'

The snack counter is equally irresistible: customise your organic popcorn with six seasonings, grab sour gummies and craft beer, or sip smooth coffee from Hayama's acclaimed Dark Arts roastery.

A Community Hub in the Making

Three months in, CineYama is evolving into exactly what Kelson envisioned: a community gathering space. Weekend restaurant pop-ups encourage locals and day-trippers to mingle and linger long after the credits roll. 'A cinema should be a place where people can come together, meet each other and have conversations,' he says. 'It's great to see that happening here.'

Getting there: CineYama is a 20-minute walk (or short taxi/rental bike ride) from Uenohara Station on the Chuo Line. The train from Shinjuku takes about one hour. Free parking is available. Check the official website for screening schedules and Instagram for the latest updates.