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Tokyo Viceseason 2 has fans on the edge of their seats, since its release in February 2024. As the second season’s plot unravels, the show’s producer Alan Poul, and other crew members are sharing just how they managed to film its second installment in some of Japan’s most difficult-to-access locations.
In a thrilling revelation, the showrunners divulged that a potential yakuza member had paid a visit to theTokyo Viceset when they were filming in Tokyo’s historic Akasaka district. However, the HBO Max series had already prepared for a dodgy occasion such as this.
Potential Yakuza member paid a visit to Tokyo Vice set in Japan
Tokyo Viceseason 2’s climactic finaleis fast approaching as it airs on Thursday, April 4. While filming the second season, the showrunner’s vision for it was as clear as a summer’s day. They did not want aneasy way out like Brad Pitt’sBullet Train, when it came to portraying Japan and its culture. HBO Max’s head of original content Sarah Aubrey, recently toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat they wanted to provide fans with a complete immersion into the Japanese culture.
Hence, one of the most sought-after locations for the second season was Akasaka’s Esplanade, a historic nightlife strip with a great lineup of bars and hostess clubs. However, while shootingTokyo Viceseason 2 scenes at Akasaka thecrew had to deal with the dangers of yakuzas. For the unversed, yakuza is a term used to refer to a Japanese gangster or an organized Japanese crime syndicate.
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The show’s producer Alan Poul told THR that their location manager member had noticed a “conspicuous, slickly dressed character” lurking at the outskirts of the set. The location manager, Masanori Aikawa, had assumed the mysterious figure was a low-level yakuza “dropping by to survey the scene.”
Former Japanese police detectives helped keep Yakuzas at bay on Tokyo Vice set
The former Japanese police detectives famously hired by Tokyo Vice creators served as cultural advisors for the show. They helped make the show more authentic for the Japanese viewers and ensured an authentic portrayal of both the Japanese police and the yakuza gangs. The ex-police detectives who worked privately now had worked in the yakuza beat in the ’90s. Hence, they helped the show perfect the portrayal of yakuza customs and nomenclatures.
Nonetheless, they also had a secondary function. The yakuzas could posea real challenge to theTokyo Viceseason 2 filming. To understand this better, its crucial to know about their historical connection with Japan’s entertainment industry.
For decades, the yakuzas presided over many live clubs and social hangout spots in Japan. As a result, if a film or TV show crew wanted to film in their area or their locations, the location manager had to visit the yakuza office and get a filming permit to ensure safety. But, at the beginning of 2010, many Japanese prefectures passed a law banning production crews from doing business with yakuza to secure a location permit.
Therefore, the detectives’ presence on set also ensured that the gangsters did not pose any threat to the production. They investigated where the gang offices were, to make sure the show’s crew didn’t accidentally approach the gangsters for location permits. They also made sure the yakuza didn’t interfere with the show’s production or endanger any crew member.
Tokyo Viceseason 2 is available to stream on Max and Prime Video.
Disha Kandpal
Content Lead
Articles Published :28
With four years of experience as an entertainment journalist, Disha Kandpal has written over 5000 articles for websites like HITC, Reality TitBit, The Focus, Celebrity Tidbit, Republic World, and more. When she isn’t chasing after the latest entertainment news, Disha can be found at the theatre, getting hyped over the latest superhero/action release or laying in her bed watching Star Wars.
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