Japan is well-known for its amazing sights, scenes, and cities. They're so familiar that they become staples for both Japanese movies and even a handfulof international films. If you watch the movie carefully, you may just see the next location you'd want to visit. Here's a list of famous places you could add to your bucket list.
1. MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO
Famous location: Sayama Hills
This spot is featured a lot in the film, especially during interactions with the main character Totoro. This lush hillside spreads across Saitama and Tokyo. Thanks to the effort of people who wanted to preserve the natural beauty of Sayama Hills, it still looks the same as it was shown in the movie many years ago.
2. BATTLE ROYALE
Famous location: Hachijo-jima Island
This 2000 action film is an adaptation of a Japanese novel and the movie was filmed in Hachijo-jima Island located in Tokyo. It takes a tiring total of 11 hours to get to the island from the mainland and even if its been semi-abandoned since 1969, the coastline offers diving and fishing spots for both tourists and locals.
3. SPIRITED AWAY
Famous location: Dogo Onsen Honkan
The movie was based from of different areas both inside and outside of Japan, but one area is very well-known for its bright lights and colorful aesthetics. The bath house featured in the movie is inspired by Dogo Onsen Honkan in Matsuyama.
4. THE LAST SAMURAI
Famous location: Engyoji Temple
This 2003 American movie was filmed in Japan while its fight scenes were filmed in New Zealand. The Engyoji Temple serves as the home of one of the main characters, Katsumoto.
5. LOST IN TRANSLATION
Famous location: Park Hyatt Tokyo
Sophia Coppola directed this 2003 cult classic, it is said that she was very fond of the hotel's aesthetic which is why majority of the movie was filmed inside Park Hyatt.
6. DEATH NOTE
Famous location: Kitakyushu Municipal Museum
Filming was done in many places around Tokyo and Fukuoka, but one of the most memorable scene in the movie was filmed in the Kitakyushu Municipal Museum. It adds to the thrill of the movie since the architecture of the building looks quite unusual.
7. NORWEGIAN WOOD
Famous location: Tonomine Highlands
This place is known for its wide grasslands, strong wind, and beautiful mountains. Filming the movie happened around this area as well as in Mineyama Highlands.
8. MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
Famous location: Fushimi Inari Shrine
This is an important Shinto shrine located in Southern Kyoto. This place was featured in this 2005 film a few times, mostly during the flashbacks of the main character, Chiyo.
Photo Courtesy: JNTO
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