About a year ago Tokyo Fox brought you the TF Top 5……Kyoto temples and shrines in film (it was actually called Kyoto filming locations but they were all places of worship as you might expect from such a city!) and now it’s time do likewise with Tokyo so here they are listed as always in no particular order.

1. Jougan-ji temple: ‘Lost In Translation‘ (2003) – Other than my own stuff there’s still very little about this small temple on the internet. It is actually quite a difficult place to find as its located on a highway (route 317) just inside Nakano-ku bordering Shinjuku-ku. The temple which Charlotte visits in the rain gets a massive 38 seconds of screen time and it’s highly likely you’ll have the whole place to yourself. More details here.

2. Sumiyoshi-jinja shrine: ‘The Toxic Avenger Part II‘ (1989) – Having been re-united  with his long lost Japanese father, Toxie and Masumi follow him around the block to his headquarters at “Fisherman’s Shrine” which in reality is Sumiyoshi Jinja shrine; a place guarded by foxes. They confront him about his crimes and in true comical fashion he inadvertently hits the girl instead of his son! More details here.

3. Zojoji temple: ‘The Wolverine‘ (2013) –  The funeral procession of Yashida takes place at Zojoji although some of the action scenes were blended together with ones shot at the Chinese Garden of Friendship in Sydney! Yakuza gangsters attempt to kidnap Mariko, but Logan helps her to into the urban sprawl of Tokyo. More details here

‘Into The Sun‘ (2005) – Zojoji made its big screen (well, bargain bin dvd!) debut in this Steven Seagal classic! There’s some meeting between the baddies though god knows why they chose to meet at such a public place! More details here.

4. Mori Inari-jinja shrine: ‘The Toxic Avenger Part II‘ (1989) – Yet another entry in this list from this rather silly b-movie and now I think about it there really haven’t been too many shrines or temples featured in films! A fight ensues with a man dressed as a Japanese schoolgirl and some kabuki men from earlier in the film who suddenly turn up in this sleepy part of Tokyo for no apparent reason but given that Troma Entertainment are famed for serving up campy movies this is not so unusual! The area looks quite different these days but the tiny Mori-inari jinja shrine is still there but blink and you might miss it! More details here.

5. Meiji-jingu shrine: ‘Monster‘ (2008) – Definitely the most famous of all the places listed here and in some ways a surprise inclusion (other than being desperate to fill the 5 places!) as it didn’t even play itself in this god-awful movie. The on-screen caption says that its Shinjuku-gyoen Gardens. Even though its supposed to be January the two American girls are wearing just vests as they walk along the path at this shrine in fear of the monster whilst people in the background are just going about their own business oblivious to the fact that there’s a monster on the loose! More details here.

You can see the ‘TF Top 5……Kyoto Temples And Shrines In Film’ here