Tokyo - or Edo, as it was called at that time - became the political capital city of Japan in 1603, when Ieyasu Tokugawa rose to the rank of Shogun and established the government headquarters there, although the formal capital was still Kyoto. In 1867, after the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Emperor moved from Kyoto to Tokyo and established the Meiji government. It was then that Tokyo became the true capital of Japan. Since the Meiji government promoted the centralization of power, Tokyo became a huge city from every point of view.
Film studios exist in both Tokyo and Kyoto. However, studios in Kyoto have a long-standing tradition of historical Samurai movies, while most of the films with a contemporary setting were produced in Tokyo. This is the reason why most filmmakers live in Tokyo and so many films were shot there. I guess for many foreign audiences, the night scenes with cyber-colored neon lights in Shinjuku (where Lost in Translation was shot) are a familiar image of Tokyo. However, actual Tokyo is unexpectedly full of green areas and, as Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Café Lumiere shows, still preserves quiet districts with traditional row houses.

When we deal with movies shot in Tokyo, we cannot forget Yasujiro Ozu who made five films with titles in which the name of the city is found, including the masterpiece Tokyo monogatari (Tokyo Story; 1953). Back to our program, however, I would like to introduce another genius, although not so well-known out of Japan, and Ozu’s fellow filmmaker at Shochiku before World War II: Hiroshi Shimizu, the director of silent movie Tokyo no eiyu (Hero of Tokyo; 1935). Shimizu did not shoot in Tokyo as much as Ozu and most of his major works are set in beautiful countryside locations. It is probably because Shochiku was located in Kamata, in southern Tokyo, that Shimizu’s silent films were set in the city. Later, Shochiku was relocated in Ofuna, a suburb of Tokyo. In the beginning of Hero of Tokyo, we can see the scenery of the residential area near Kamara, which is also seen in many of Ozu’s films, Umarete wa mitakeredo (I Was Born, But; 1832) as an example. Many scenes of Hero of Tokyo were shot on a set, and we cannot enjoy so many of the location shots Shimizu loved. However, the movie shows some very precious images of the streets of Ginza before World War II.

The Ginza area, where huge department stores are found in a row, developed as an economic center throughout the Edo and Meiji eras. In Hero of Tokyo, fashionable women called “MOGA” (an abbreviation of “modern girl”) can be seen walking down the streets of Ginza. After WWII, some parts of Ginza became recreational areas, where men used hang out in bars to drink and chat when their shifts were over. Ginza gesho (Ginza Cosmetics; 1951) is a masterpiece Mikio Naruse shot in Ginza. The heroine of this film is a hostess who works in one of the many bars in Ginza and lives in Shintomi-cho, a district located at a walking distance from Ginza. The Tsukiji River, which flows near Ginza and often appears in the movie, is covered by a motorway. Naruse shot many other films in Tokyo. His Onna ga kaidan wo noboru toki (When a Woman Ascends the Stairs; 1960) shows excellent sceneries of Ginza.

Akasen Chitai (Street of Shame; 1956), by Kenji Mizoguchi, was set in Yoshiwara, Tokyo’s leisure and pleasure area since Edo times. Yoshiwara, which became the title of one of Max Ophuls’s films, was the place where, in Edo times, top-ranking prostitutes, called “Oiran”, and rich traders developed wondrously refined and “diplomatic” intercourse (a situation that was very well depicted by Tomu Uchida in the film Yoto monogatari: Hana no yoshiwara hyakunin giri / Hero of the Red District; 1960). After WWII, American occupation forces, who wanted to keep prostitution under control, circumscribed the area where prostitution was allowed under the name of “Akasen” (meaning “Red Line”), in which also Yoshiwara was incorporated. Street of Shame is a collection of dramatic stories set in Yoshiwara, at the time when the rumor spread that the Anti-Prostitution Law was going to be ratified. The Anti-Prostitution Law was actually enforced in 1958 and the name “Akasen” was abolished (of course, that did not mean that prostitution disappeared from Yoshiwara).
A nightclub in Akasaka served as a setting for Tokyo nagaremono (Tokyo Drifter; 1966) by Seijun Suzuki. Akasaka, which neighbors the seat of the National Diet and Government offices, became the upper-class shopping area, in which prominent politicians and businessmen used to gather. Throughout the 1960s and the 70s, when Japanese economy was rapidly growing, the nightclubs of Akasaka could boast the height of their prosperity. In 1980s, this prosperity began to fade, and when the New Latin Quarter (one of the leading nightclubs at that time) was closed in 1989, the nightclub era was said to be over. Now, gangster movies are hardly made any longer in Akasaka. They are mainly shot in Shinjuku, a shopping area that quickly developed after the 70s. The Tokyo Tower, which can be said to be the symbol of the city, can be clearly seen from Akasaka. In Tokyo Drifter, the tower can be seen in the background of a big tree the hero occasionally looks at. Again in Tsuki wa dotchi ni deteiru (All under the Moon; 1993), by Yoichi Sai, the Tokyo Tower shows its grand figure in the impressive scene of the taxi driver who, having lost his way, calls his company.
Tokyo senso sengo hiwa (He Died after the War; 1970) by Nagisa Oshima was entirely shot on locations, using non-professional actors. The film can be seen as a sort of documentary about Tokyo in the 1970s, when political struggle shook Japan. The beginning and the ending of the film were shot in Toranomon, near the area where the Government offices are found. The seat of the National Diet is visible in the background, during the last sequence. The image of the large-scale demonstration held by university students is more shocking than anything else in this movie. The camera starts shooting in front of the Sendagaya station, then shows the clash of police officers and demonstrators in Meiji Park. Then, the camera follows the demonstrators all the way down beautiful Aoyama Street, until they reach Hibiya. Impressive images of the metropolitan highway, which runs everywhere inside of Tokyo, are also seen in the movie. The highway became famous when Andrej Tarkovskij used it for his near future settings in the film Solaris.

Shibuya, which has become a shopping area especially for teenagers, appears in recent movies more frequently than Shinjuku. Long time ago, Shibuya had no such importance in films. The beginning of its prosperity may be dated back to the beginning of 1980s, when young people, dressed up in funny clothes, started the habit of dancing on Sundays in the streets of Harajuku and in Yoyogi Park, situated at a walking distance from Shibuya. The “Takenoko-zoku”, were teenagers who lived in suburbs of Tokyo such as Saitama and Chiba. They are said to have gathered spontaneously and for the first time in Yoyogi Park, in the summer of 1979. In The Mosquito on the Tenth Floor (1983), by Yoichi Sai, the hero’s daughter, who lives in Chiba, joins the “Takenoko-zoku”. The “Takenoko-zoku” disbanded after several years and were eventually replaced by rock groups performing in the street. In 1990s, many films depicting the lives of young people were shot in Shibuya. Bounce ko gals (Leaving; 1997), by Masato Harada, is very representative from this point of view. In Shibuya, where one finds clothes shops for young girls in a row, is also a hotbed of crimes as shown in the film. Teen prostitution in particular, known as “Enjo kosai” (meaning “Compensation Dating”) has caused many miserable incidents. However, one cannot deny that Shibuya, despite its obscure aspects, is an attractive area. If you see Leaving, you may understand what this means.