Where was Alice in Borderland filmed? Inside filming locations for hit Netflix J-drama

Alice in Borderland has become one of Netflix’s biggest international shows and is finally returning for its third season after a three-year break.

The hit Japanese drama stars Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya as Ryōhei Arisu and Yuzuha Usagi, respectively, two strangers who are thrown into a series of sadistic games set in a barren version of Tokyo.

After a dramatic cliffhanger capped off the second season way back in 2022, fans have been waiting on tenterhooks to see how the brutal gauntlet continues.

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Countless viewers are expected to flood to Netflix this week as Alice in Borderland’s third season is finally premiering on Thursday, 25th September.

Many of them will be interested in where the hit sci-fi thriller was filmed, so let’s take a look at what we know about the locations the series uses to stage the action-packed drama.

Where was Alice in Borderland filmed?

Many of the exact locations for season three’s filming schedule are still under wraps to avoid giving away spoilers or too many details about specific scenes.

However, Alice in Borderland is not expected to undergo a huge shift in setting for the third season as the trailers reveal the next outing is still taking place in the parallel version of Tokyo.

Much of the series was indeed filmed in the Japanese capital, including the Dōgenzaka district of Shibuya being used for some key scenes.

However, as the series is set in the most populous city in the world, filming on-location proved tricky and the production team were required to use a combination of sets and visual effects to recreate the pivotal Shibuya Crossing location.

This took place at the Ashikaga Scramble City Studio in Tochigi, located in the Kantō region of Honshu.

Most of the scene was recreated using CGI, except for key features such as the road and ticket gate. This set was also used for the film Detective Chinatown 3.

Other key moments were filmed in various cities around Japan, including a memorable sequence in Sakuya Konohana Kan, a massive greenhouse in Tsurumi Ryokuchi park in Osaka.

Fans will also remember the Beach, a luxurious hotel where survivors can recover and relax in between games. The Royal Oak Hotel Spa & Gardens in Otsu, Shiga is used for exterior shots, while certain scenes inside the resort, including the iconic main hall, were shot at the Nanki Shirahama Resort Hotel.

The latter is still currently open for fans to stay the night and can be found in the Wakayama Prefecture in Shirahama, a popular beach town destination. Unfortunately, the Royal Oak in Otsu has reportedly since closed down after filing for bankruptcy.

Other must-see locations for fans going on an Alice in Borderland tour include the iconic 798-meter-long Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo Bay, which serves as a backdrop for some key moments.

Finally, one of the most thrilling moments from the series was the game of tag, known as Five of Spades, which took place in an empty apartment building.

This complex was found at 4-2 Koeidai, Kita-ku, in Kobe, a city in Japan that’s the capital of Hyogo, located in the Kansai region. It was scheduled for renovations during filming in 2019 and was therefore empty, but has since been populated by residents.

Will you be taking a trip to Japan to visit some memorable Alice in Borderlands landmarks?

Alice in Borderland season 3 premieres Thursday, 25th September on Netflix.