Netflix’s ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ is a Japanese crime drama series. It was inspired by Shinjo Ko’s novel ‘Jimenshitachi.’ The show follows Harrison Yamanaka, who leads a gang of con artists who pose as real estate salespeople while property values are high. Takumi Tsujimoto and Harrison form a partnership after meeting. Takumi is a negotiator, and he and his crew of crooks plan a 10 billion yen real estate swindle.
While they work on the scam, the fake realtors negotiate with landowners and major developers. At the same time, the police are trying to catch them. The thriller series stars Go Ayano and Etsushi Toyokawa, along with other talented Japanese actors like Kazuki Kitamura, Eiko Koike, Pierre Taki, and Shota Sometani. Besides the suspenseful story, the viewers also love the interesting visuals and locations shown in the series.
Where was “Tokyo Swindlers” Filmed?
‘Tokyo Swindlers’ is filmed entirely in Japan, mainly in and around Tokyo. The director, Hitoshi One, started shooting the series around May 2023. It took almost five months to complete the filming, which finished in early October of the same year.
Tokyo, Japan
Most of the important scenes in ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ are filmed in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, officially known as the Tokyo Metropolis. The production team uses the city’s diverse architecture, including both modern and historical buildings. For scenes set in a strip club, they likely used a real nightclub. The police station scenes were also probably shot on location.
Beach Scenes: Since there are no beaches in Tokyo, the filming team traveled a bit outside the city to shoot the scenes set on a beach.
City Shots: In each episode, there are many aerial and establishing shots of the city. You can see famous buildings and attractions like the Tokyo Skytree, the Tokyo Tower, the Rainbow Bridge, the National Diet Building, and Shibuya Crossing.
Actor’s Experience: During the show’s completion report meeting, Go Ayano, who plays Takumi Tsujimoto, talked about the filming process. He said (translated), “The senior actors have amazing skills and qualities. We did many takes, and I saw a new side of them. They were living the roles, not just acting. The director Daikon-san brought that out, and it was exciting!”
When asked about his most memorable scene from the show, he replied, “It’s in the trailer, the scene where I invite Ayano-kun (played by Takumi) to become a real estate fraudster. It was around the second day of filming. The staff were nervous, but we shot a really great scene.”
Official Trailer
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Tokyo Swindlers
Q: Where was ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ filmed?
A: ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ was filmed entirely in Japan, primarily in and around Tokyo. The production team used the city’s diverse architecture, including both modern and historical buildings, to create the backdrop for the series.
Q: Were all the scenes filmed in Tokyo?
A: Most of the important scenes were filmed in Tokyo, including strip club and police station scenes likely shot on location. For beach scenes, the filming team traveled a bit outside Tokyo.
Q: When did the filming of ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ start?
A; The filming of ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ started around May 2023.
Q: How long did the filming of ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ take?
A: The filming took nearly five months and was completed in early October 2023.
Q: When was ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ released on Netflix?
A:’Tokyo Swindlers’ was released on Netflix on July 25, 2024.