Shōgun brought viewers into the world of feudal Japan and hooked them with a drama based on the novel by James Clavell.
The good news is that you can now easily explore Japan by train with help from Trainline. The bad news is that trains can only take you to the real locations the series was based on.
To get to the filming locations for Shōgun, you’ll need to leave the Land of the Rising Sun and head to The Great White North.
Was Shogun filmed in Japan?
No, unfortunately for viewers captivated by the dazzling set pieces, FX’s Shōgun was not filmed on location in Japan. But that’s not for lack of trying. Producers intended to film Shōgun in Japan, but delays — including the COVID-19 pandemic — caused the film’s relocation. You’ll see establishing shots and iconic landscapes that were filmed in Japan, but that’s it.
Where was Shogun filmed?
Instead of shooting on location in Japan, Shōgun was primarily filmed in Ucluelet and Port Moody, both which are near Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. Believe it or not, London was also a filming location for one specific scene where Lord Yoshii Toranaga rides his horse across a fiery backdrop.
How many awards did Shogun win?
With a 99% Tomatometer and 85% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, it surprised no one that Shōgun won a current total of 87 awards, including 4 Golden Globes, over a dozen Primetime Emmys, and 4 SAG awards. It even grabbed a Grammy nomination.
Where can I watch the Shogun series?
FX’s Shōgun is streaming on Hulu, which is also available through the Disney+ app.
Will there be a Shogun Season 2?
Yes, reports have confirmed that Shogun Season 2 is in the works. Not only that but Shogun Season 3 was also greenlit last year, so prepare for another journey into feudal Japan.
Who starred in Shogun on FX?
Shogun stars Cosmo Jarvis (Peaky Blinders), Anna Sawai (F9: The Fast Saga), Tadanobu Asano (47 Ronin), Yûki Kedôin, Tommy Bastow, Takehiro Hira , and Hiroyuki Sanada.
Sanada’s name should ring a bell for cinephiles: he’s been in everything from Avengers: Endgame and Mortal Kombat to Mr Holmes, and movies filmed in Japan like The Wolverine, John Wick: Chapter 4, and The Last Samurai.
More TV Shows & Movies Filmed in Japan
While Shōgun wasn’t filmed in Japan, plenty of other TV shows and movies were.
📺 Tokyo Vice
Another hit FX show, Tokyo Vice features the fantastic Japanese actor Ken Watanabe. With over 800 railway and subway stations in Tokyo, you can see Tokyo Vice filming locations like Akasaka’s Esplanade with ease.
📽️ 47 Ronin (1994)
While the 2013 Keanu Reeves flick was filmed in Budapest and Scotland, the 1994 version used Himeji Castle, Daikaku Temple, and Hikone Castle as scene settings — all of which are easy to visit in Shiga, Kyoto, and Hyogo on a two week vacation in Japan.
📽️ Memoirs of a Geisha
Explore Memoirs of a Geisha filming locations in Kyoto by train from Tokyo with an average journey time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. Use the Japan Rail Pass to ride the Hikari Shinkansen.
📺 Alice in Borderland
From Kanto to Kansai, the hit Netflix series Alice in Borderland’s filming locations like Osaka’s Sakuya Konohana Kan Botanical Garden are effortless to reach by rail.
📽️ The Wolverine
Sink your claws into an easy trip from Tokyo’s Ueno Station to Hiroshima-ken’s Fukuyama Station, mimicking the bloody bullet train ride Logan took in The Wolverine.
📽️ The Last Samurai
Use your Japanese rail pass to find the few scenes that Tom Cruise filmed on location in Japan for The Last Samurai, including the Chion-In Temple in Kyoto and Sho-sha-zan Engyo-ji Temple in Himeji City.
📺 Tokyo Trial
If you slept on this Netflix mini series, you’ll be just as enthralled with the story as you are surprised to learn that Vilnius, Lithuania, portrayed post-WWII Japan in Tokyo Trail when the real city couldn’t.
📽️ The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Skip the rental car and travel in style with a Green Japan Rail Pass to the handful of real Japanese filming locations for Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift like Shinjuku’s red-light district Kabukichō and the buzzy Harajuku area in Tokyo.
📽️ Inception
While there were aerial and exterior shots filmed in Japan, Inception’s opening sequence was filmed in LA and meant to resemble the real Nijō Castle, conveniently located right off of Kyoto’s Tozai subway line.
📺 Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Another series where Japan only provided a few scene settings, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was filmed in Tokyo.
📽️ Battle Royale
Both the Ikegami Line and Keikyū Main Line connect Tokyo to Kawasaki where you’ll find filming locations along the Tama River from Battle Royale.
📽️ Lost in Translation
Lost in Translation makes it effortless to see its filming locations by train: the Yamanote Line and Marunouchi Line will get you between Shinjuku and Shibuya where multiple scenes were filmed.
📺 Anthony Bourdain
Fans of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy should look to Tony Bourdain for Japanese destination inspiration. Bourdain spent time with sumo wrestlers and geishas on the first two episodes of A Cook’s Tour, visited Osaka, Hokkaido, and Tokyo on multiple No Reservations episodes, and made yet another return to Japan for a trio of Parts Unknown episodes.
📽️ The Grudge
Looking for the Yanagi Bridge from The Grudge? Take the Asakusa Line in Tokyo to either the Asakusabashi or Higashi-Nihombashi stations.
📽️ Babel
Watch the underrated Brad Pitt gem, Babel, and you’ll see multiple spots in Japan including Tokyo’s Azabu-Juban park, Shinjuku, Shibuya-ku, and Ibaragi in Tochigi.
What’s the best way to get around Japan?
While Brad Pitt may not have ridden Bullet Train in real-life Japan, you can use Japan’s astounding rail network to visit filming locations from your favorite movies.
Discover how affordably the Japan Rail Pass connects you from Nagasaki to Sapporo and beyond with help from Trainline.