Compared with advertisement and tourist handbook, film is the best way to promote the scenery in a place. You might not like all the films shot in Japan, yet some of the scenery in the films are more impressive than the synopsis.
The Assassin
In the film, Nie Yinniang is handed over to a nun when she is very young, who initiates her into the martial arts. When she returned 13 years later, she had been transformed into an exceptional assassin. The purpose why her master sends her back is to kill Tian Ji’an, her cousin and childhood sweetheart. To reproduce the ancient splendor of the Tang Dynasty, the crew carried out on-site shooting in many places in China and Japan, and presented the audience all the dreamy scenes in the film.
The ancient temple appeared in The Assassin, which is set in China but actually shot in Kyoto, mainly in Kinki, such as Daikakuji Temple, Tōfuku-ji, Seiryoji Temple and Heian Shrine. The scene of lakeside pavilion with reflection of the sunset is shot in Daikakuji Temple, Kyoto. Located in Arashiyama, the temple boasts the most beautiful scenery in autumn with red maple leafs.
If You Are the One
The film If You Are the One, directed by Feng Xiaogang and featuring Ge You and Shu Qi, introduces the splendid scenery of Hokkaido, Japan to the Chinese audience.
Kitahama Station
Kitahama Station is located in Abashiri, Hokkaido, a station along the Senmō Main Line built by Hokkaido Railway Company. The station is not so big, yet it is the most famous station in Japan with the most representative scenery of Hokkaido, thus many Japanese and foreign films were shot here.
Inside the station you can overlook Okhotsk, with refreshing breezes coming from the sea. Inside its reception room, there are notes and cards on the wall left by tourists, showing the popularity of the station.
Cape Notoro
Cape Notoro appears many times in the film. It is the place where Xiaoxiao and Qin Fen bathe in sunshine, sharing their inner feelings, with breezes brushing their faces. Xiao Xiao lights a cigarette for Qin Fen. It is also the place where Xiao Xiao commits suicide by jumping into the sea.
Cape Notoro is a cliff sticking out to the Okhotsk, an important place of sightseeing. Looking down from the tip of the cape, you can see the lucid ocean. It is also the best place to enjoy drift ice in winter.
Iwaobetsu Onsen
In the film, there is the scene where Qin Fen talks with his friend Wu Sang about the brown bear in the mountains while taking a foot bath. In the scene, we are exposed to the natural scenery of Hokkaido. The place is a free outdoor hot spring located at the mountain pass of Mount Rausu, which is named Iwaobetsu Onsen.
Iwaobetsu Onsen is located at the northern part of Mt. Rausu, which is the main peak of Shiretoko Peninsula, A World Natural Heritage. It is surrounded by old-growth forests. Going upstream along the Iwaobetsu River, you can reach Iwaobetsu Onsen. The road leading to it is in well paved, integrating as a whole with the surrounding forests. While taking a bath in the hot spring, you could hear birds and the murmur of a stream.
Teshikaga
In the film, accompanied by their friend Wu Sang, Qin Fen and Xiao Xiao visit many places in Hokkaido. The scenes where the car drives in the open field of Hokkaido leave a deep impression on the audience. Most of these scenes were shot in Teshikaga, Hokkaido.
It is located in the northern part of Kushiro Subprefecture, a remote town of Hokkaido. The name of Teshikagaderives from Ainu language, teshika·ga, meaning laccolite. The main industries here including sightseeing and dairy, with major tourist destinations such as Lake Mashū, Lake Kussharo and Kawayu Onsen.
In the film, the car drives along the surroundings of Bihoro-toge and Kawayu Onsen.
Mikan no taikyoku
Mikan no taikyoku is the first China Japan co-produced film, with co-screenwriters and co-directors from the two countries. The destiny of characters is reflected in the different roles played by the game of Go against the background of different bilateral relations in different periods of time. In the age, what one does and how he behaves are not as black and white as the pieces and the success or failure in life cannot be decided so easily as the game of Go.
In January, 1981, the making of the film started at the coast of Nagahama, Kanagawa Prefecture. The film is directed by Jun’ya Satô and Duan Ji-shun, featuring Sun Daolin who plays the protagonist, Kuang Yishan, and Rentarô Mikuni plays the role of Rinsaku Matsunami. The film was released to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan.
Miura Peninsula is a serene and reclusive island in the southeastern part of Kanagawa Prefecture. The best season to visit it is in winter. It is a famous place for sightseeing in Japan. In summer, it is also full of tourists. The island is not far from the big cities such as Tokyo, Yokohama and Kawasaki. Free of the hustle and bustle of the cities, you can enjoy the peace and a slow pace of life in the island.
Okinawa Rendez-vous
Manzamo Cape is a must-see in Okinawa, not only because it boasts blue sea and clear sky, but because it is the major filming location of Okinawa Rendez-vous. That year, Leslie Cheung hadn’t left us. Manzamo is the place where Tang Jie, played by Leslie Cheung, traded with Ito with his diary. I guess many people, just like I do, come to see the place where Leslie Cheung had been to and searching the memory of the classic film.
ANA Intercontinental Manza Beach Resort is the hotel where Faye Wong and Leslie Cheung stayed when making the film. The bar which Faye Wong did a part time job is now an aquatic center of the hotel.
Shinjuku Incident
Shinjuku Incident is an action film directed by Jackie Chan. It tells the story of the rise and fall of a gangster. Though the characters in the film are all fictional, the cases are all real happened in the Chinese communities in Japan. The major filming locations include Tokyo, Kobe and Sendai.
The magnificent sewage system is shown in the film. The sewer filmed in Kobe is two-lane wide and over 10 meters high, which survived the M7.2 earthquake in 1995.