Naman Shrestha
Inspired by the Shinjo Ko novel titled ‘Jimenshitachi,’ Netflix’s ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ is a Japanese crime drama series that acquaints us with Harrison Yamanaka, who leads a group of con artists pretending to be real estate agents when real estate prices are high. When Takumi Tsujimoto crosses paths with Harrison, they join forces as the former works as a negotiator to carry out a real estate fraud worth 10 billion yen with a team of scammers.
Working on the scam, the fake realtors negotiate with landowners and major developers while the police are closing in on them. Originally titled ‘Jimenshitachi,’ the thriller series is led by Go Ayano and Etsushi Toyokawa, alongside other talented Japanese actors like Kazuki Kitamura, Eiko Koike, Pierre Taki, and Shota Sometani. Apart from the suspense surrounding the detectives, deceivers, and the deceived, what catches the viewers’ attention is the intriguing visuals and locations in the backdrop.
Where is Tokyo Swindlers Filmed?
‘Tokyo Swindlers’ is shot in its entirety in Japan, specifically in and around Tokyo. According to reports, the director Hitoshi One commenced shooting the inaugural iteration of the Netflix production around May 2023. It took nearly five months for him to bring his vision to the screen as the filming was wrapped up in early October of the same year.
Tokyo, Japan
Most of the pivotal sequences for ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ are reportedly lensed in the capital of Japan — Tokyo, which is officially known as the Tokyo Metropolis. The production team makes the most of the city’s diverse architecture, utilizing both modern as well as its historical and cultural establishments. In order to tape the scenes set in a strip club, they seemingly set up camp in an actual nightclub. As for the police station scenes, they are also likely shot on location.
Since there are no beaches in Tokyo, the filming unit travels a bit outside of the capital to shoot the scenes set on a beach. Moreover, there are several aerial and establishing shots of the city in each episode. Thus, you are more than likely to spot many prominent buildings and attractions, such as the Tokyo Skytree, the Tokyo Tower, the Rainbow Bridge, the National Diet Building, and Shibuya Crossing. During the completion report meeting of the show, Go Ayano, who portrays Takumi Tsujimoto, was asked about the filming process.
The actor replied (translated), “First of all, the senior actors have amazing on-site skills and human qualities. As we did many takes, I saw a new side of them, and they were surviving the roles instead of just playing them. I felt the skill of Daikon-san to bring that out, and it was exciting!” He was also asked about his most memorable scene from the show, to which he replied, “It’s also used in the trailer, but I guess it was the scene where I invite Ayano-kun (played by Takumi) to become a real estate fraudster. It was around the second day of filming, but the staff were also nervous, so I think we were able to shoot a really great scene.”
Read More: Is Netflix’s Tokyo Swindlers a True Story?
