Foreign Tourists Flocking To Movie Locations

Above, Shibuya Crossing, used in kaiju and non-kaiju movies. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I saw the headline of a new article in the Yomiuri Shimbun, "Foreign Tourists Flocking To Film Locations", I initially had a thought that some Godzilla movie locations may be included in it.

Not so.

The movie locations foreign tourists are flocking to are non-kaiju-related and almost none are familiar to me.

The article begins with:

One after another, locations in Japan including a cape, a remote island, a temple and a baseball stadium have been appearing in overseas films. The structures and scenery are located not only in internationally famous cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto but also in regional cities and towns across the nation. Thanks to this trend, foreign tourists’ destinations are becoming diversified.

It is sometimes easy to forget that there are other movies and genres (including anime) that uses locations in Japan. These also draw visitors of those films and genres.

Maybe a follow-up article will appear after the new Shin Godzilla (now in production) by Toho is released and people may want to visit that movie's locations.

For those seeking information on kaiju-related movie locations, The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan is filling that need.

To read more, go here.