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Shin Godzilla statue in front of the Tokyo Midtown Hibiya shopping complex in Central Tokyo.

Movie-Lover's Guide to Japan (Portfolio)

April 27, 2024

The 100 links in this post represent seven years’ worth of freelance writing from a cinephile and Japanophile’s perspective. Here, you’ll find Japan-related film analysis and film-related travel writing that I’ve done for /Film, Inverse, Dread Central, Explore, and GaijinPot, including my Lost in Translation and Anthony Bourdain sightseeing guides, which respectively ranked as the #1 and #7 top-performing articles by organic search on the GaijinPot Blog the year they posted.

If you like movies and you’re interested in Japan, the links here offer a comprehensive guide to movie locations in Tokyo and elsewhere across the country. They also serve as the portfolio of a writer with press-accredited coverage of the Tokyo International Film Festival.

The very last section at the bottom is devoted to places inside and outside Japan, including America and other parts of Asia. All my other (non-movie-centric) travel writing can be found in this portfolio. Anyone who enjoys both jidaigeki and Jedi films is encouraged to peruse my Star Wars coverage, which features an extensive archive of “Star Wars in Japan” articles.

Movie & TV-Inspired Travel

A Night Alone in the ‘Ringu’ Cabin (Dread Central Article)

This Popular Mountain Is One of the Most Filmed Locations in Asia (Explore Article)

  • Mount Fuji.

Street Art and a Ghibli Exhibition on Tennozu Isle

Photo Highlight: Warner Bros. Sunset

Why This Popular City Was One of Anthony Bourdain's Favorite Places to Visit (Explore Article)

  • Tokyo.

Where to Find the Real-Life Landmarks Demolished by Godzilla Onscreen (Explore Article)

Photo Highlight: Gamera in Chofu

Comparing the Ghibli Museum with Ghibli Park

Ghibli Park and the Ghibli Museum (Photo Gallery)

Ghibli Park Review and Photo Tour: A Nature-Friendly Hayao Miyazaki Fan's Paradise (/Film Article)

How to Build a Gundam (Inverse Article)

Gundam Factory Yokohama (Photo Gallery)

Japan’s Life-Sized Gundam, Through the Years

The Anthony Bourdain Tour of Namba, Osaka

Inside the Stranger Things Cafe Where Hawkins Comes to Life (/Film Article)

Down the Well: The Real Ghost Story That Inspired ‘Ringu’ (GaijinPot Article)

Anime Fans Save Studio Ghibli Museum With Massive Crowdfunding Initiative (/Film Article)

What It’s Like to Stay in the Hotel Where ‘Lost in Translation’ Was Filmed

5 of the Coolest Studio Ghibli Movie Locations You Can Visit in Japan (GaijinPot Article)

Remembering Anthony Bourdain Through His Travels in Japan (GaijinPot Article)

5 Cool James Bond Movie Locations You Can Visit in Japan (GaijinPot Article)

8 of the Coolest Movie Locations You Can Visit in Japan (GaijinPot Article)

A Guide to the Best 'Lost in Translation’ Spots in Tokyo (GaijinPot Article)

The Shinjuku Shrine That Inspired the Face of Baymax in 'Big Hero 6'

Why Japan’s New Studio Ghibli Theme Park Is So Exciting (and How It Will Reflect Hayao Miyazaki’s Films) [/Film Article]

Universal Studios Japan

5 More Things Unique to Universal Studios Japan

You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Lens for USJ’s Jaws Ride

5 Things to Know Before You Go to Universal Studios Japan (GaijinPot Article)

Mario’s Revenge: A Daytime Photo Tour of Super Nintendo World

Inside Super Nintendo World: A Holiday Mario Kart Tour of Universal's Theme Park Land (/Film Article)

Super Nintendo World (Photo Gallery)

Japan on Film

Oppenheimer’s Most Effective Scene Puts Kyoto in the Room

Tom Cruise’s Historical War Epic Remains Controversial — and Underrated (Inverse Article)

  • In The Last Samurai, Japan's march toward modernization was also Hollywood's.

Spirited Away: Live on Stage Director John Caird on Achieving The Impossible [Exclusive Interview] (/Film Article)

Anatomy of a Controversy: Revisiting the Japanese Wife Scenes in ‘Licorice Pizza’

The Daily Stream: Woman in the Dunes Finds Grains of Truth in a World of Sand (/Film Article)

‘Drive My Car’ Cruises With Slow Purpose Through a Landscape of Things Left Unsaid

Tokyo Vice Trailer: Michael Mann Heads to HBO Max for His First Streaming Series (/Film Article)

The Daily Stream: Whether You Watch the Olympics or Not, ‘Ikiru’ Is Essential Viewing (/Film Article)

‘Yojimbo’ at 60: Akira Kurosawa’s Samurai Classic Still Packs a Masterful Punch (/Film Article)

What Netflix’s ‘Earthquake Bird’ Gets Right About the Experience of Living in Japan as a Foreigner (/Film Article)

‘The Terror: Infamy:’ A Supernatural Folklore and History Primer for the New Season of AMC’s Horror Anthology (/Film Article)

5 Japanese Films to Put You in the Oscars Mood (GaijinPot Article)

  • Shoplifters, Mirai, Departures, Hana-bi, and Tokyo Story.

5 Innovative Genre Filmmakers from Japan (GaijinPot Article)

  • Hideaki Anno, Takeshi Kitano, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takashi Miike, and Isao Takahata.

Akira Kurosawa: 5 Essential Movies From Japan’s Greatest Filmmaker (GaijinPot Article)

  • Rashomon, Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Ran. As mentioned in the article, these were the five Kurosawa films on the IMDb Top 250 at the time of writing.

Living ‘Lost in Translation’ and Examining the Film’s Global Legacy, 15 Years Later (/Film Article)

How the Parallels Between Westworld and Shogun World Reflect Some of the Most Famous Movies of All Time (/Film Article)

The Dual Nature of Rodriguez in Martin Scorsese's 'Silence' (With Photos of the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum in Nagasaki)

Hollywood Was Getting 'The Sea of Trees' Wrong Long Before Logan Paul Ever Entered the Forest (/Film Article)

Omoide Yokocho, Shinjuku's ‘Memory Lane,’ and the Question of Tokyo's Real Influence on ‘Blade Runner’

Godzilla

‘Godzilla Minus One’ Review: Toho’s King of The Monsters Makes a Triumphant Return (Dread Central Article)

Akira Takarada, Star of the Original 1954 Godzilla Movie, Has Died at 87 (/Film Article)

Netflix’s ‘Godzilla Singular Point’ Anime Series is an Ambitious, Terrifying New Direction for the King of the Monsters (/Film Article)

How the Original ‘King Kong’ Influenced ‘Godzilla’ (And How Lesser-Known Dino Movies Influenced Them Both) [/Film Article]

How ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ Draws from the Tradition of Toho’s Creature Features (/Film Article)

‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ Spoiler Review: A Chip Off the Old Blockbuster (/Film Article)

‘Godzilla: The Planet Eater’ Review: King Ghidorah Helps End Netflix’s Anime Godzilla Trilogy in a Grand Fashion (/Film Article)

King(s) of the Monsters: Everything You Need to Know About Godzilla’s Greatest Allies and Adversaries (/Film Article)

‘Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters’ Review: What You Need to Know About Netflix’s CG Anime Film (/Film Article)

J-Horror

In Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s ‘Cure’, Stress Relief Means Murder (Dread Central Article)

Junji Ito’s Spiral of Manga Horror

The Western Influences Behind Junji Ito’s Manga Work (GaijinPot Article)

These next few links cover J-horror movies that I wrote about for /Film. Some of them redirect to list-oriented articles where only certain sections are about Japanese films:

  • Cure (1997) / Audition (1999) / Noroi: The Curse (2005)

  • Kwaidan (1964)

  • Onibaba (1964)

  • Ringu (1998) / The Ring (2002)

Anime

The Daily Stream: Mobile Suit Gundam Is the Grandaddy of Giant Robots (/Film Article)

Ghost in the Shell Ending Explained: The Next Stage of Post-Human Evolution (/Film Article)

The Daily Stream: Pom Poko Will Teach You the Ancient Raccoon Dog Art of Transformation (/Film Article)

Princess Mononoke Ending Explained: Death and Rebirth in the Forest (/Film Article)

Spirited Away Ending Explained: On Earth as It Is in Ghibli (/Film Article)

Akira's Motorcycles Came Straight Out of Another Sci-Fi Classic (/Film Article)

Spirited Away Is Brought to Life in Delightful Images From New Stage Show (/Film Article)

‘Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time’ Spoiler Review: An Ending 25 Years in the Making (/Film Article)

The Daily Stream: LaKeith Stanfield Voices the Anime ‘Yasuke’ in a Feudal Japan with Magic and Mechs (/Film Article)

The Anime Classic ‘Akira’ Foresaw the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics – and Its Empty Stadium (/Film Article)

‘Pacific Rim: The Black’ Un-Cancels the Apocalypse, for Better or Worse (/Film Article)

The Full Studio Ghibli Film Library Will Be Available to Purchase on Digital Platforms This Month (/Film Article)

‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ and the New Religion of 21st-Century Fandom (/Film Article)

A Complete Guide to the Films of Hayao Miyazaki (GaijinPot Article)

‘Akira’ Turns 30 and It Remains Essential Sci-Fi and Gateway Anime (/Film Article)

The Tokyo International Film Festival

Some of my festival coverage from 2018 onward can be found above in the “Godzilla” and “Japan on Film” sections. This includes movies like Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018), Earthquake Bird (2019), and Godzilla: Minus One (2023).

Tokyo International Film Festival: 2017–2018 (Photo Gallery)

3 Things to Know About the Blockbuster Japanese Movie ‘One Cut of the Dead’ (2018 GaijinPot Article)

Zombies in the Streets! How I Survived ‘One Cut of the Dead’ in Tokyo on Halloween Night (2018 /Film Article)

6 Reasons to Visit the Tokyo International Film Festival (2018 GaijinPot Article)

An Inconvenient Time to Talk About 'An Inconvenient Truth' and Its Sequel [TIFF-JP 2017]

Tommy Lee Jones on Film Festivals [TIFF-JP 2017]

In ‘Gutland,’ The Vibes Are Bad in the Good Land [TIFF-JP 2017]

Steven Soderbergh Explains How the ‘Ocean’s’ Trilogy Is His Superhero Series (2017 /Film Article)

Tommy Lee Jones Is Big in Japan and Boss Coffee Is His Lifeblood (2017 /Film Article)

The Live-Action ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ Feels Like an Early 2000s Comic Book Movie (2017 /Film Article)

The Tokyo International Film Festival: 2015–2016 Photo Tour

Inside and Outside Japan

The Biggest, Most Popular Harry Potter Attractions Aren't Where You'd Expect (Explore Article)

  • Unless you’d expect them to be outside Universal on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour.

From Amityville to Ringu: The Evil Eyes of Three Houses and One Cabin

Spend the Night in These Spooky Movie Hotels and Cabins (If You Dare) [Explore Article]

  • Hotels in Los Angeles, Oregon, Colorado, Texas, and Tokyo.

These Luxury Hotels Will Put You Right in Your Favorite Movie Setting (Explore Article)

  • Hotels in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Singapore, and Tokyo.

7 Movies Where Hong Kong's Capsized Floating Restaurant Did (And Didn't) Appear (/Film Article)

Airplane Book Recommendation: ‘The Spy Across the Table’ by Barry Lancet

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