Lost in Translation
Tokyo
The shades of gray that dominate the friend-love story between a sexy, young newlywed and a paunchy aging actor in Lost in Translation are a sharp contrast to the blinking lights and bright colors of Tokyo.
Your Weekend in Translation should start with the stunning views of the city that can only be found at the Park Hyatt Hotel, where Charlotte (Scarlett Johanssen) and Bob (Bill Murray) first meet in the rooftop bar. But the city's too vibrant to observe from behind glass. Head out at night and walk in Bob's tracks, marveling at the ginormous TV screens and millions of neon lights at Shibuya crossing. To let your eyes recover, make a pitstop at Shabuzen for a steaming bowl of shabu-shabu. You'll need the fortification because, naturally, you'll be singing sweet nothings to your sweetie at Karaoke Kan (they shot the film in rooms 601 and 602) all night long.
If you feel like deviating from the script, peruse the area's vending machines — they're not just for stale snacks and cigarettes. While you're improvising, you also might want to check into one of Tokyo's famous "love hotels," because, after all, Charlotte and Bob never did get it on.
Park Hyatt Hotel: 3-7-1-2 Nishi Shinjuku; +81-(0)3-5322-1234
Shabuzen: Shibuya Creston Hotel B1F, 10-8 Kamiyama-cho, Shibuya-ku; +81-(0)3-3485-0800
Karaoke Kan: 30-8 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku; +81-(0)3-3462-0785