Tokyo has been the nerve center of Japan’s movie industry for more than a century. Kyoto, the country’s ancient capital, has a proud filmmaking tradition, especially for samurai period films, but a…
’s movie industry for more than a century. Kyoto, the country’s ancient capital, has a proud filmmaking tradition, especially for samurai period films, but all the major film companies — Toho, Toei, Shochiku, Nikkatsu and Kadokawa — are headquartered in Tokyo and operate studios in either Tokyo or the Tokyo metro region. Locations in Tokyo, Hiroshima and other Japanese regions also feature prominently in Oscar-nominated “Drive My Car.
Also, permits to shoot in such popular Tokyo locations such as the Kabukicho red-light district in Shinjuku and the famous scramble intersection in Shibuya, are all but impossible to come by. “So you need to shoot on the fly,” the producer advises. “However, in some dangerous areas like Kabukicho, you have to be prepared to be harassed by the yakuza,” Japan’s home-grown gangsters.
But when locations in central Tokyo are essential, she does not recommend guerrilla-style shooting, “even if it seems tempting.” Instead, she advises “hiring a local production company with feature film experience in Tokyo.” And if the budget is an issue, other locations can double for Tokyo. “Even major filmmakers here do this.”
In filming “Plan 75,” says Gray, “Everybody was PCR-tested before and during the shoot, and reported via Google forms every day on their health condition, including their temperature and the health of family members.”