Lost in Translation Filming Locations: Karaoke-kan in Shibuya
During their night out on Tokyo, Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) make their way by taxi to Shibuya after escaping the irate bouncers at the Daikanyama Air night club after Charlotte's friend "Charlie Brown" insults a bartender. Bob and Charlotte are separated from the group after leaving, but are shortly reunited near Nakameguro Station where everyone jumps into a taxi to Shibuya. The gang regroups at what appears to be someone's apartment before moving to a karaoke box. At the karaoke box, the inebriated revelers belt out pop hits from the 70s and 80s while Bob and Charlotte later share an intimate moment in the hallway.
This iconic scene from Lost in Translation was filmed at a Shibuya location of the national karaoke box chain “Karaoke-kan” located at 30–8 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya (right next to the police box (koban) and across from Chitose Kaikan) on Inokashira Street. The building is approximately a 5–8 minute walk from the famed “Shibuya scramble” intersection in the heart of Shibuya’s retail shopping district.
The filming took place in the former “annex” to the main Karaoke-kan which is right next to the main building at the address above. The scenes were filmed in rooms 601 (with the unique circular bay window) and 602 of the annex as well as in the connecting hallway which had the zebra print wall covering.
While the Karaoke-kan main building remains in operation, the annex has since closed, including rooms 601 and 602 where the film was shot. The building containing the former annex is still standing however, and now houses a Maid Café as well as several Japanese BBQ (yakiniku) and Chinese restaurants, though the sixth floor remains vacant. I stopped by the annex building recently and to my surprise the elevator let me off on the sixth floor even though there was no tenant. I was able to see a “deconstructed” version of the former room 601: the curved windows still feature prominently along with the view, and an outline on the floor indicated where the hallway was located, but everything else is gone.
Karaoke is a favorite pastime of the Japanese, with approximately 9,000 karaoke parlors like Karaoke-kan spread throughout the country and a global market of more than 10 billion USD. Unlike karaoke bars which can be found in the United States where drunk patrons embarrass themselves on stage in front of large crowds, visitors to Japanese karaoke boxes are given their own, private room where they are free to sing their hearts out without anyone watching. While some diehard karaoke fans will sometimes visit alone, it is far more common to rent out a karaoke box with a group of friends as part of a night out. Many work-related “drinking parties” often end the night at one of these establishments, as enough alcohol has been flowing by that point that most inhibitions to signing in front of a group of friends or colleagues will have vanished.
Japan’s love for karaoke is likely born out of long standing Japanese entertainment traditions, including geisha culture, where friends and business associates were often entertained in private rooms to musical and/or theatrical performances. The Japanese word ‘karaoke’ is a portmanteau of the Japanese words kara 空 (empty) and ookesutora オーケストラ (orchestra), and was coined by a Japanese entertainment group after a live orchestra went on strike and the organizers played taped recordings of the group’s prior performances to confused concert goers. Creation of the modern karaoke machine is generally credited to Japanese musician Daisuke Inoue who made the first karaoke machine in 1971. He was inspired to make the device after he was asked by guests at a café he frequently performed at to provide recordings of his music without the lyrics so that patrons could sing along to his songs. His initial creation resembled a tape recorder which he lent out and would charge JPY 100 yen (USD 1) per play of a song. His machines quickly became popular at hotels and restaurants at which point the karaoke box industry was born.
Once inside a karaoke box, guests are brought to rooms like the ones seen in Lost in Translation, which feature disco balls, flashing lights and a large TV screen with a karaoke machine attached. The machine itself is attached to a robust speaker system and the catalogue is massive — spanning almost the entirety of Japan’s popular music catalogue and most Western hits as well. The lyrics play on a screen against a variety of pre-cut “music videos” which feature no-name Japanese actors and actresses acting out a number of situations, typically involving young love and heartbreak. These karaoke music videos are made specifically for the karaoke TVs and on any given night you are bound to see the same videos being reused for a number of songs.
There is typically a flat entrance fee of about JPY 500 (USD 5 dollars) for each person, along with a drink purchase requirement. The initial entrance is typically for one or two hours, with an option to extend at additional cost. A wide assortment of food and drink can be ordered to your room and most karaoke boxes stay open all night, which means it is a popular option for revelers who have missed the last train home and want a cheap place to kill time before the first trains start up again in the morning. The Karaoke-kan brand of karaoke boxes(owned by entertainment conglomerate B&V corporation) that were visited in the film are some of the most popular, with locations in almost every Japanese prefecture.
Karaoke-kan Official Website: http://karaokekan.jp/index.html
Karaoke Songs featured in Lost in Translation:
