In the movie “The Ringside Story” (2017), the training scene with Hideo (Eita), the protagonist, was filmed at Komazawa Olympic Park in Setagaya Ward. ‘I came up with the idea of a tribute to the training montage in the movie “Rocky.” John G. Avildsen, the director of “Rocky,” passed away on June 16 as we were getting ready to shoot. I thought that there was no choice but to recreate the training sequence that takes place between Rocky’s small apartment and the Museum of Art in Philadelphia. There would be no other chance like this. I could realize such a ridiculous dream because of Komazawa Olympic Park, which features a flight of stairs right at the end of the tree-lined path the protagonist dashes through as he trains. The surroundings of the park also match the settings of the town Hideo is likely to live in. The training sequence starts from his apartment in Nakano, passes through a shopping street in Nakano Minamidai, includes some training at a gym in Shin-Okubo, and finishes at Komazawa Olympic Park. I was looking for a park that is commonly used by the residents as a place to exercise, so I was really glad we were allowed to film scenes there. As we were shooting, several other young people were also running up and down the stairs. It was impressive to see them working hard, step by step, toward their dreams. Rocky’s theme song was echoing in my head while I was filming the scene. This running course definitely offered the ideal backdrop for Hideo as he was trying hard to become the best of bests. I hope the young people who watch the movie will one day follow this example. This is also one of the rewards of being a film director.’
{Masaharu Take, director of “The Ringside Story”}

The exterior of the Matsumoto Memorial Music Guest House in Setagaya Ward is featured in the drama series “Princess Jellyfish” (2018) as the mansion of the Koibuchi family where Kuranosuke Koibuchi (Koji Seto) and Shu Koibuchi (Asuka Kudo) live. Matsumoto Memorial Music Guest House was originally built as the residence of Nozomu and Chiyo Matsumoto. Nozomu Matsumoto was the founder of Pioneer, the audio equipment maker, as well as the Foundation for the Advancement of Music Appreciation. It has been opened to the general public since 2001 as a memorial hall mainly dedicated to music education. Mini concerts and lectures are also sometimes held.

Roka Koshun-en Gardens in Setagaya Ward served as one of the locations in the long-running historical drama series “Yae's Sakura” (2013). Following episode 46 in which novelist Roka Tokutomi (Taiga) was featured, The Roka Koshun-en Gardens was introduced as part of ‘“Yae's Sakura” Kiko,’ a program that airs after each episode and which presents facts and places in connection with the drama series. Literary master Roka Tokutomi was active starting in the Meiji era until the Taisho era. The park features an old house and garden where Roka spent the latter part of his life in quiet retirement dividing his time between work and intellectual pursuits. Visitors will be able to imagine Roka’s bucolic lifestyle during his late years. Other points of interest include a moso bamboo grove as well as a small forest of mixed trees, which includes sawtooth and konara oak trees, planted by Roka himself. In another corner of the gardens is a flower hill where a variety of flowers bloom according to the change of seasons. The nature and vestiges of Roka’s beloved Musashino can be enjoyed to this day.

In the last episode of the drama series “Perfect Son” (2012), Umi Suzuki (Kyoka Suzuki) and Minoru Kurahashi (Ikki Sawamura) hold their wedding ceremony at Fujimigaoka Church in Setagaya Ward. The year 1935 saw the foundation of the Protestant Church. In 2003, Fujimigaoka Church was designated as a national Tangible Cultural Property. The origin of the name Fujimi, as per the meaning of the Japanese characters, comes from the fact that it was possible to gaze at Mount Fuji from this place when the church was founded. Everyone is welcome to attend the religious service held every Sunday. If you happen to visit on a Sunday, don’t hesitate to join the service!

MAKER'S SHIRT KAMAKURA jiyugaoka mast
in Setagaya Ward is featured in the movie “TO EACH HIS OWN” (2017). Yamamoto (Sota Fukushi) and Takashi Aoyama (Asuka Kudo) are seen shopping at the store in one of the important scenes of the first half of the movie. KAMAKURA Shirts is a brand that was started in 1991 with the idea to bring authentic Western-style clothing to Japan in order to make Japanese more fashionable. The shirts are slowly and carefully sewn by skilled craftsmen. Just like the two protagonists who went shopping to the store for a change of mood, come to Maker’s Shirt KAMAKURA for a new shirt or tie that will change your mood at work and create a special memory based on the movie. The store carries garments for both men and women.

In the movie “Love Strikes!” (2011), Yukiyo Fujimoto (Mirai Moriyama) and Miyuki Matsuo (Masami Nagasawa) arrange to meet. They meet for the first time at Village Vanguard Shimokitazawa in Setagaya Ward. The store, which is crammed with irresistible items such as manga, books, accessories, and much more, is a paradise for the subculture aficionado. Simply browsing around is sure to be entertaining. Gyoza no Ohsho in the subculture town of Shimokitazawa is known as the filming location of the scene in which Miyuki says she’s taking herself off. Enjoy a casual walk or meal in this town and let yourself be overwhelmed with the butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling of first encounters just as depicted in Love Strikes!

Shiokaze Park in Shinagawa Ward is featured in the movie “Our Meal for Tomorrow” (2016). The scene in which Ryota Hayama (Yuto Nakajima) boards a bus during his trip to Thailand was filmed at this location. Shiokaze Park is the largest park in the coastal subcenter area of Tokyo, and is divided in two areas—North and South—by the Bayshore Route which passes right through. In the northern area, the ‘Town and Sea Promenade’ offers a beautiful view of the Rainbow Bridge, container wharves, and other sights across Tokyo Bay. The ‘Water and Greenery Promenade’ in the southern area is often crowded with sightseers as well as with people enjoying jogging and cycling. On clear and sunny days, Mt. Fuji can be seen in the distance from the side of the park facing the sea. Come feel the pleasant sea breeze as you take a walk around the location.
* Produced with the assistance of Tokyo Location Box

‘In his initial plot for the movie “Godzilla Resurgence” (2016), director Anno was loosely planning to have Godzilla swim the Keihin Canal upstream from Ota Ward to Shinagawa Ward. Later, after director Higuchi and his staff went hunting for locations by bicycle on the route back from Haneda, we decided to have Godzilla first come ashore from Nomi River in Kamata, Ota Ward, because director Higuchi liked the diverse ambiences the town around Kamata could offer.
For the filming of the impactful opening scene, we made large-scale use of Kamata to achieve a tremendously powerful scene.’
[Producer of “Godzilla Resurgence”]
* Supported by Tokyo Location Box

Nodame (Juri Ueno) and Chiaki (Hiroshi Tamaki) had walked side by side on this shopping street, “Shimomaruko Shoeikai” situated in Ota-ku in the drama “Nodame Cantabile” (2006) The fish store where Chiaki had bought a fish, “Uosei”, is also located on this shopping street. In addition, the scene in which Ryutaro Mine (Eita) and Seira Miki (Asami Mizukawa) walked together was shot here.

In the movie “Kako: My Sullen Past” (2016), Kominka Cafe Rengetsu in Ota Ward is featured as Rengetsuan, the Egyptian bean restaurant where Kako (Fumi Nikaido) and her family live. In the movie, the area is referred to as Kitashinagawa, but the actual restaurant is located in Ikegami, Ota Ward. The deep colored building which still exudes the charm of good old Showa era was built as a soba restaurant in 1927. The name of the restaurant used in the movie—Rengetsuan—as well as part of the name of the café actually in operation—Rengetsu—were taken after the original name of the soba restaurant: Rengetsuan. The long-standing soba restaurant closed in 2014. Filming took place in the interval between the closure of the restaurant and its rebirth into a café. Various scenes were filmed on the first and second floors of the building as well as in the garden which all became the main stage that provided an outlook into the world of “Kako: My Sullen Past.” The café is currently open for business on the first floor, and a true Japanese tatami sitting room is available for rental on the second floor. Let the typical charm and nostalgia of the old Japanese-style house slowly seep into your soul as you immerse yourself into the world of the movie while enjoying a delicious cup of tea.

This is the bridge which Akira Ichikawa (Takeru Sato) went over on the way over to Yumi Sakamoto’s (Kazue Fukiishi) apartment in the drama “Tonbi” (2013) is “Yamamoto Bridge”. This place is also famous as one of the most famous cherry blossom viewing spots in Tokyo, which attracts many visitors in the spring time.

Platform 1 of Oimachi Station on Rinkai Line in Shinagawa Ward served as one of the locations of the movie “Gantz” (2011). Kei Kurono (Kazunari Ninomiya) and Masaru Kato (Kenichi Matsuyama) meet on the platform where a series of scenes leading to the subway accident were filmed. The filming garnered attention as it was the first time it was ever done on railway tracks in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. The filming location on Platform 1 is actually shown as Platform 2 in the movie, so be careful not to mix them up when you visit the location!

The scene which Aiko (Rina Koike) and Atsushi (Keisuke Minami) have a conversation in the movie "Happy Landing" (2015) was shot at Shinagawa Kumin Park. The park is full of nature with colorful flowers, trees and water. There are recreational facilities such as a day camp area and a fishing pond, and the park is one of the biggest public park in Tokyo. There is Shinagawa Aquarium within the park and it is a perfect place to relax on the weekends.

The science museum where Takeru was in the 16th episode of the drama series "Ressha Sentai ToQger" (2014) is the "Tamarokuto Science Center." It is equipped with an inclined dome that is the fourth-largest dome in the world. It is an experience-oriented science museum and is registered as the "most advanced planetarium" in the Guinness Book of World Records.

One of the shooting locations for the drama series "A Letter from Sakura - The story at graduation for each AKB48 member" (2011) is here at the "Nishitokyo City Hoya Komorebi Hall."

Higashikurume is the setting of the manga "Higashi no Kurume to Tonari no Meguru". In Higashikurume, there are many places that appears in the story, such as the banks of Ochiai River, Daienji Temple, and Koyamadai Iseki Park. Many places are depicted in manga as they are, so it would be fun to walk around the area with a copy of the book.

‘The apartment complex where Yoshiko (Kirin Kiki) lives in the movie “After the Storm” (2016) is the Asahigaoka Apartment Complex in Kiyose City, Tokyo. I actually lived there from when I was nine until I was 28. Residents of the complex I know from back then came to have a look at the filming and congratulate my efforts. They welcomed me back in a somewhat jubilant fashion.’
[Hirokazu Koreeda, director of “After the Storm”]
Director Koreeda explains that ‘not becoming what one wants to become is exactly what also happened with the apartment complexes.’ As a result of a former ambition to expand the development of housing complex areas, apartment complexes were erected all over Japan. However, they are now deteriorating, and their residents are aging. We are forced to concede that the present situation is far different from the initial vision. To the gloomy picture of these apartment complexes, director Koreeda superimposes the painful image and nostalgia of characters who couldn’t become what they once wanted to become.
[“After the Storm” Official Homepage]
* Produced with the assistance of Tokyo Location Box

In the movie 'AKKO-CHAN: The Movie' (2012), the stockholders' meeting of the company Akko (Haruka Ayase) works for is held in this 'Higashiyamato Humming Hall'. In the weekends, there are various events held in the hall such as concerts and workshops, and I would like to enjoy those events together with the location tour of the movie by checking the schedule.

The film set of "Dora Haru", a dorayaki shop owned by Sentaro
(Masatoshi Nagase) in the movie "Sweet Bean" (2015) was built at one corner by the south exit of Seibu Shinjuku Line Kumegawa station.There's a row of cherry blossom trees near by and
walking around there in spring would definitely remind you of the movie. Most of the scenes from the movie were shot in Higashimurayama including the neighbourhood of Kumegawa station.

Shootings for the movie "Sweet Bean" (2015) took place at Tama Zenshoen Sanatorium in Higashimurayama. One of the scenes was shot in The National Hansen's Disease Museum located inside the sanatorium where you can get an accurate information on the disease and learn its history . Why not learn about the Hansen's disease for deeper understanding of the movie?