KYOTO -- Samurai cinema transports moviegoers back to a long-vanished Japan with period dramas filmed amid elaborate sets. One area of Kyoto's tradition-steeped Uzumasa district is where much of the production takes place.
Earthen warehouses and wooden townhouses with lattice doors and windows stand side by side, creating a townscape complete with small boats in a green pond -- a nostalgic scene that still resonates with many Japanese.
