When it comes to movie history, Himeji-jo in Hyogo Prefecture is probably the most famous castle in Japan as it featured in the James Bond film ‘You Only Live Twice‘ (1967) as well as two Japanese movies by legendary director Akira Kurosawa; ‘Kagemusha‘ (1980) and ‘Ran’ (1985). A few years ago I blew the trumpet for Hikone-jo in Shiga Prefecture which was used for two lesser movies by way of ‘3 Ninjas Kick Back‘ (1994 and ‘The Hunted‘ (1995) and now it is time to rave about another hidden gem.

Admittedly, I had never heard of this castle until I watched ‘Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins‘ (2021) in the year of its release. I was most surprised to discover that the castle used for filming was actually in Osaka. However, it’s certainly not conveniently located in proximity to the city centre but it is only 15 kilometres east of Kansai International Airport which is how I accessed it on my most recent visit.

Kishiwada Castle was built in the late 15th century approximately 500 metres away from the present-day location. The castle first appears in this third G.I. Joe film on 23 minutes as, shortly after his arrival in Tokyo, Snake Eyes (Henry Golding) is driven to the home of Tommy’s (Andrew Koji) family.

Despite being nearly 600 kilometres apart, the Tokyo scenery is blended seamlessly with this three-floor castle in Osaka.

His family are the Arashikage clan, an ancient ninja society devoted to preserving order and fighting evil. All of the staff are on hand to welcome the guest of honour.

He is introduced to Akiko (Haruka Abe) who is the Arashikage clan’s head of security.

Naturally, a lot happens between then and the next major appearance of the castle exterior on 109 minutes but all of that will be ignored! Scarlett (Samara Weaving) arrives at Kishiwada-jo castle to give Snake Eyes a dossier revealing that his father was a member of international peacekeeping organization, G.I. Joe. She invites him to become a fellow Joe.

The film draws to a conclusion on 112 minutes as Snake Eyes dons the black outfit and helmet given to him by Akiko, and sets out to find Tommy to bring him home.

This castle is well-worth visiting and paying the 300 yen entrance fee to go inside the building but if you have seen this film then it’ll certainly add something to the experience of seeing it all.

Click here to read ‘A Trio of Japanese Castles In 3 Different Prefectures In 3 Days!’

Click here to read ‘Kansai Filming Locations: G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes (2021)’

Click here to read ‘A Day In Osaka: The Hidden Marine Fortress, The “Other” Castle, Japan’s Cheapest Vending Machine, The Station Platform With A Giant Tree In It & Boob House!’

Click here to read ‘Review: Films Set In Japan – Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021)’