Feeling glum because your flight to Japan seems so far away? Fortunately, Tokyo’s starring role in a multitude of films means you can always reach for a streaming device to get excited for your trip.
Here’s our pick of the best films to whet your appetite ahead of your Tokyo visit.
Godzilla (1954)
Thanks in large part to the most famous mutant lizard of all time, Tokyo has the dubious honour of being the third-most often destroyed city in cinematic history (after New York and LA). The original Godzilla spawned a whole series of sequels and remakes; the first film is still worth tracking down.
This is so much more than a disaster film; Godzilla is first awoken from his slumber by hydrogen-bomb testing, bringing to mind the trauma of the atomic weapons that fell in Japan eight years prior. A perfect film, not just for Tokyo on the big screen, but for an insight into its history.
Location scout: If you want to get up close and personal with the famous beast, head to the Hotel Gracery where a menacing model towers over the Shinjuku skyline.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Sofia Coppola’s timeless tale of strangers bonding over a mid-life crisis and an uncertain future has been inspiring fans to visit Tokyo for over a decade.
Tokyo often comes across here as alienating, but the fun side does still shine through, with the couple racing through pinball halls in Shinjuku and throwing themselves into the karaoke bars of Shibuya. These sequences will have you itching to get there.
Location scout: The New York Bar on the top floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel has long been sought out by die-hard fans undeterred by the sky-high prices.
Shoplifters (2018)
Hirokazu Kore-eda scooped the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2018 with this wonderful film about a non-biological family struggling with poverty in contemporary Tokyo. The family of shoplifters adopt Yuri, a young girl locked outside of her home one bitter winter evening.
The film conveys ordinary Japanese life, centering on an extraordinary family. Whether it’s watching them shoot the breeze while slurping down ready-meal noodles or working in the city’s notorious hostess industry, there is much to digest about Tokyo society.
Location scout: The film is mostly shot in the Adachi district, a working-class neighbourhood beyond the tourist map.
Tokyo Story (1953)
According to a Sight and Sound magazine directors’ poll in 2012, Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story is the greatest film ever made. This masterpiece recounts the simple story of an ageing provincial couple who take a trip to visit their children in post-war Tokyo, only to be neglected and spurned.
Beautifully shot and wonderfully acted, film buffs should explore this film, not just for shots of Tokyo but for its poignant storytelling.
Location scout: In an important scene, the parents go on a day trip to the Atami hot springs. If you want to soak a little closer to Tokyo, the region of Hakone has a good range of onsen towns.
Spirited Away (2001)
Any respectable list of Tokyo films includes anime, and Spirited Away is the most famous of them all. Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away is the only non-English film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It’s the story of Chihiro, a young girl who slips into a spirit world and strives to find her way back home.
Although not set in Tokyo, this classic coming-of-age story draws inspiration from the Japanese capital. Fans have made pilgrimages to the Meguro Gajeon Hotel (the inspiration for the witch Yubaba’s bathhouses), a sumptuous venue that transports you into another world.
If you’ve never watched anime before, Spirited Away is the perfect film to introduce you to this vibrant aspect of Japanese cinema.
Location scout: The whimsical Studio Ghibli Museum is a must-visit for anime aficionados, immersing you in the magic of these films and inspiring you to seek out more on your return home.
