Foreign filmmakers have long been aware of Tokyo as a surreal and dynamic movie backdrop. The dazzling neon lights, the crowds that swarm the streets, and the unique culture, are notable highlights to this city of contrasts. It is here that filmmakers are provided with both serenity and action all in the blink of an eye. Here’s a look at some of the Japan-inspired cinema favorites and their locations.

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For many, the words “Japan” and “movie” evoke just one word: Godzilla. The 1954 classic first helped put Japan on the movie map and fans of the great beast can see a miniature version of the star a few minutes walk from Hibiya station, near the Hibiya Chanter building.

Enthusiasts of the more recent hit, Kill Bill by Quentin Tarantino, may like to visit a spot similar to that where a blood-stained Uma Thurman reeked havoc fighting the “crazy eighty eights” in a traditional Japanese restaurant. Tarantino’s inspiration came from restaurant Gonpachi in Nishi Azabu. Although the majority of the scene was filmed on a set, it is rumored that some footage actually took place there. Gonpachi is also the restaurant where former prime minister Koizumi invited US president Bush out to dinner in 2002.

Diners who prefer a more relaxed atmosphere can visit the Shabu Shabu restaurant where Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansen debated over which cut of meat to choose in Sophia Coppola’s Lost in Translation. Shabuzen, in the basement of the Shibuya Creston hotel, offers Shabu Shabu courses of thinly sliced meat dipped in boiling water from around four thousand yen and upwards.

Continue the evening to partake in what is practically Japan’s national pastime: karaoke. Located one street back from sentaa-gai in the heart of Shibuya, room 601 in Shibuya’s Karaoke Kan is where the two main characters spent an impromptu night on the town.

Air, a basement club between Shibuya and Daikanyama, is another Lost in Translation location where the two stars spent a night out with Johansen’s friend Charlie Brown. Contrary to the demure exterior, Air has a capacity of seven hundred and fifty people, and includes a fully operational restaurant and café on the premises.

A thirty-minute train ride from Shibuya to Hiki-fune station will take you to old Tokyo where you can soak at the　Hiki-fune-yu onsen. This is where Lucas Black, the lead actor of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, approached a character played by former ozeki Konishiki, to collect an outstanding loan.

Back in the urban jungle, take a walk through the concrete park near exit 3 in Azabu Juban. This is where the deaf teenager in Babel, played by Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi, met some friends to dabble in some not completely legal fun.

You could also grab a bite to eat at the J-Pop Café in Shibuya, another filming location for Babel. Here is where Kikuchi’s daring character experiments with a Sharon Stone Basic Instinct move, successfully gaining attention of a group of teenage boys across the room.

And last but not least, top your evening off with a visit to the New York Bar at Shinjuku’s Park Hyatt hotel, a key spot in Lost in Translation. Take the city in from above and watch Tokyo’s lights sprawl out below. The staff are friendly to tourists and will happily show you the seat which Bill Murray used during filming.

Upcoming Tokyo-based movies include Hollywood’s Ramen Girl, starring Brittney Murphy, scheduled for release in two thousand eight.

Story by Karryn Cartelle
All Rights Reserved, Spinshell Inc.

Spinshell Reports are three minute episodes of useful information about visiting and living in Japan.

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Tags: air, center-gai, cinema, Daikanyama, film, godzilla, gonpachi, j-pop cafe, karaoke, locations, lost in translation, movies, nishi-azabu, shabuzen, Shibuya, Tokyo

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