Sayonara | 1957
- Locations |
- Japan;
- Los Angeles, California
- DIRECTOR |
- Joshua Logan
Parallel romances in post-war Japan, in the days when interracial relationships were still taboo. Although set in ‘Kobe’, the Japanese locations were filmed in Kyoto.
Of course, it’s not all Japan. The ‘American Officers Club’ is Yamashiro, 1999 North Sycamore Avenue. A Japanese restaurant, built by hundreds of (it’s said) ‘Oriental’ craftsmen in 1913-14, the cedar and teak replica of a Japanese palace comes complete with teahouse, gardens and an imported 600-year-old pagoda. There was some doubt about the restaurant's future but, after a brief closure, Yamashiro re-opened under new ownership in 2016.
It stands in the Hollywood Hills on a single track road (the name means 'Mountain Palace'), north of the suburb, with spectacular views over Hollywood itself. Yamashiro can also be seen in the remake of Gone In 60 Seconds, in John Landis’s Kentucky Fried Movie and in Blake Edwards’ Blind Date.
* There’s more to come for this section. Bookmark us and check back regularly.
