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Home » Destinations » Asia » Japan

Recreating Scenes from Lost in Translation

Published: May 11, 2011 by Dave Lee |

Warning sign
A sign warns visitors to be careful when walking across the stone walkway.

There are a lot of hidden benefits to visiting Japan in the off season, but visiting the gardens is not one of them. I soon discovered most, if not all, of the shrines and temples I visited featured meticulously cared for gardens, only in Winter, they all lack flowers (and color).

In Kyoto, I visited the popular Heian Shrine with the express purpose of finding the location where a scene from Lost in Translation was shot. Specifically speaking, Scarlett Johansson's character is seen skipping across a stone walkway over a pond.

Earlier in Tokyo, I'd already enjoyed a Suntory whisky at the Park Hyatt a la Bill Murray's character.

Running across the stone steps
Take 1: running across the stone steps.

To access the shrine was free, if I recall correctly, however you needed to buy a ticket to visit the gardens. And guess how many people pay to visit Japanese gardens in Winter?

Answer - not many, so I had the whole garden to myself.

When I happened across the stone walkway from the movie, I recognized it instantly, and used the opportunity to have a little fun with my camera.

I balanced it on a sign post, set the auto-timer, and then began to recreate scenes from Lost in Translation.

Walking across the path was boring in the photos, so I jogged.  Then, since I was absolutely alone, I also took a moment to meditate...well, at least long enough to snap the photo which makes it look like I'm meditating.

Meditating in the gardens of Heian Shrine
A moment of meditation in the gardens of Heian Shrine.

The impromptu photo session was worth the price of admission (which was in the area of $5), though I don't recommend paying for Japanese gardens in Winter.

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About Dave Lee

Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio. He's been to 68 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Read the full story of how he became a travel blogger.

Comments

  1. James Clark says

    May 12, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    A noble pilgrimage, Dave. Wearing an inside out yellow cammo t-shirt would have been a good homage as well, but it looked a bit cold for that :)

  2. Joya says

    May 17, 2011 at 3:33 am

    Love it! I just watched this movie for the first time a couple weeks ago and loved this scene. It makes me want to go to Japan even more. 

Dave at Ahu Ko Te Riku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile.

Hi, I'm Dave

Editor in Chief

I've been writing about adventure travel on Go Backpacking since 2007. I've visited 68 countries.

Read more about Dave.

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