6 movie locations you can actually visit in Japan
Having visited Tokyo, Japan, twice, I'm always transported to a dreamy city full of unique experiences and culture. As a movie buff, I'm in awe of some of the most memorable movie sets filmed in Japan, with its stunning architecture and vibrant Technicolour neon splashes of light.
From the glistening Tokyo streets to the gilded exterior of temples, here are some of the popular film locations set in Tokyo and around Japan I hope to visit soon. Do you have a favourite?
1. Lost in Translation (2003)
Location: Park Hyatt Tokyo, Shinjuku
Book a stay at Park Hyatt Tokyo
Director Sophia Coppola's Oscar-winning film, Lost in Translation was actually shot in Tokyo, and many of the film's scenes were also centred in Park Hyatt Tokyo, where Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray's characters stayed and crossed paths with one another. How dreamy!
Order Scarlett's vodka tonic at The New York Bar located on the 52nd floor of the hotel, overlooking the pool view and enjoy the city lights.
2. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Location: Fushimi Inari Taisha, 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchicho, Fushimi-ward, Kyoto
Book a stay at Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei
Memoirs of a Geisha may have been shot in the US but a certain scene of a Japanese child, Chiyo, running through the orange gates of a shrine, was shot at the Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto. Tourists flock to the beautiful, thousands of vermilion torii gates here to get their pictures or selfies taken.
3. The Wolverine (2013)
Location: Zojoji, 4–7–35 Shibakoen, Minato-ward, Tokyo
Buy a Tokyo Hop-On Hop-off sighseeting bus ticket
In The Wolverine, Logan (Hugh Jackman) travels to Japan, where he attends a funeral of a long-time acquaintance at Zojoji temple, and was attacked on the grand staircase of the main hall. The dramatic scene was etched in my mind for days as I recalled watching the scene.
The temple was also featured in Steven Seagal's Into The Sun (2005), where the main hall with the Tokyo Tower standing tall in the background could be seen in the film.
4. Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
Location: Shibuya crossing, 2-2 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ward, Tokyo
Stay at Dormy Inn Premium Shibuya-jingumae
Shibuya crossing is one of the world's busiest scramble crossings as tourists, workers and students all rush in different directions to get to their next destination. To get here, simply exit the Shibuya train station via the Hachiko exit.
And why is this crossing so popular? Alice played by Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil: Afterlife was seen standing on this crossing with a gun. Other films like Lost in Translation and the drift scenes of Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift were also filmed here.
5. Kill Bill (2003)
Location: Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu Restaurant, 1−13−11, Nishiazabu, Minato-ward, Tokyo
The assassins won't be here if you dine at Gonpachi Nishiazabu, one of the famous restaurants featured in Uma Thurman's Kill Bill film. In this scene, Uma's character fought off a teenage assassin dressed in a head-to-toe yellow ensemble (also famously worn by movie star Bruce Lee).
6. Departures (2009)
Location: Fukura, Yuza, Akumi District, Yamagata 999-8521, Japan
Book a stay at Hostel&Bar Camosiba
The Japanese film, Departures, is about a nokanshi (encoffineer), who prepares deceased bodies for funeral ceremonies as a career. The Oscar-winning film was set in the city of Sakata, and the outdoor surroundings of the Yamagata Prefecture in northern Japan. There are hardly any tourists heading here, except for those intending to visit the Mount Chokaizan mountains.
