Tokyo Vice season 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 the Tokyo Vice set 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 Vice season 2’s climactic finale is 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 an easy way out like Brad Pitt’s Bullet Train, when it came to portraying Japan and its culture. HBO Max’s head of original content Sarah Aubrey, recently told The Hollywood Reporter that 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 shooting Tokyo Vice season 2 scenes at Akasaka the crew 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.
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 pose a real challenge to the Tokyo Vice season 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 Vice season 2 is available to stream on Max and Prime Video.
