Where Was Alice In Borderland Filmed And Which Locations Can You Actually Visit?

The Japanese Netflix series, "Alice in Borderland," based on the popular manga of the same name, follows a group of people who find themselves in a deserted Tokyo and are forced to play dangerous games to prevent being killed by a mysterious laser from the sky. As the show progresses, the contests become harder to survive while the mystery begins to unravel behind their strange situation of being trapped in a dystopian Japan.

According to a report from Yahoo, "Alice in Borderland" is one of the most-watched Japanese series on the streamer, and many of the individuals that couldn't look away from the non-stop thrill ride the show offered are probably wondering where filming took place. The production took place in studios and on location to ensure viewers could easily escape into the puzzling post-apocalyptic urban wasteland. Everything was shot in Japan, utilizing areas in the Kanto, Kansai, Chūbu, and Kyushu regions. Among the many sites from the country that were used, the Greater Tokyo Area served as one of the main production hubs for the Netflix program. 

While fans are unfortunately unable to travel to the same empty Tokyo to play deadly card-based challenges, there are a number of places where certain scenes were shot that those who enjoyed the series can visit.

Tokyo is the capital city of Japan and a great place to check out for fans of "Alice in Borderland." While a number of scenes were shot in the Greater Tokyo area, there are a number of notable parts taking place throughout Shibuya City, especially where things kicked off at the well-known Shibuya Crossing.

Because the location is notorious for being immensely busy and crowded, the scene was shot on a replica set at the Ashikaga Scramble Studio in Tochigi. The reason many couldn't tell the difference is the lengths the show went to in order to ensure people watching couldn't tell the difference from the real thing. When discussing the location for the opening scene, director Shinsuke Sato said in an interview (via YouTube, translated to English), "The first step was the visual effects team creating a huge replica of Shibuya. They even went as far as recreating the dirt and trash that you would see if you were in the real Shibuya." The attention to detail and level of authenticity achieved when recreating the location was arguably crucial in getting the sci-fi thriller's dystopian, otherworldly premise going with audiences and made it difficult to distinguish the set from the real place.

While the replica without the VFX probably doesn't seem like the most appealing place to see, the real Shibuya Crossing is a worthwhile destination that every "Alice in Borderland"-based trip should have on its itinerary.

In the second entry of "Alice in Borderland," fans are introduced to the "Five of Spades" challenge, referred to as "A Game of Tag," that, to most people's surprise, quickly turns out to be a bullet-riddled version of the childhood game. The event that raised the stakes considerably for the show featured horse-mask-wearing gunmen chasing contestants in search of a hidden safe room that also served as a rather thrilling first encounter for several of the show's main players. In the series, the trigger-happy contest occurred in an abandoned apartment complex in Tokyo, but that is not where the location can be found in real life.

The "Five of Spades" endeavor actually took place at an apartment complex at 4-2 Koeidai, Kita-ku, located in Kobe, a city in Japan that is the capital of Hyogo, found in the Kansai region. When the first season was being filmed in 2019, the building was not in use and was scheduled for renovations. Since the show has aired, the complex is now home to many residents and can be visited by fans of "Alice in Borderland," while it's probably wise when doing so not to expect any crazy card-based challenges and to be respectful of the occupants.

Throughout the series, fans watched the characters survive several challenges of varying difficulties based on a different card suit designation. One of the games played in Season 1 was the "Seven of Hearts" challenge titled "Hide and Seek." Viewers witnessed the exhilarating four-player endeavor, which turned out to be a depressing affair when it was completed. The series made people believe that the location of the one wolf versus three sheep ordeal took place in the greenhouse section of a botanical garden located in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. Like the Borderland, the site described in that spot doesn't exist.

The deadly game was shot in Osaka, Japan, and took place in what is widely known as one of the largest greenhouses on the planet. Sakuya Konohana Kan Botanical Garden contains some of the world's most beautiful flowers. Considering touching any of the 15,000 plants on display is prohibited, it seems safe to assume anyone visiting the location won't be allowed to play killer games of Hide and Seek. But the place is open to the public for an admission fee, with several interesting tours, special activities, events, and gardening consultations available to those interested. 

If "Alice in Borderland" fans are looking for a serene place to visit after watching all the mayhem unfold, then Osaka's Sakuya Konohana Kan Botanical Garden is a worthy destination.

One location that was featured in several episodes of "Alice in Borderland" was the Beach, which served as an outlandish twist in the dystopian tale and showcased, of all things, a wild party resort with a swimsuit-wearing community that had come together with the unified goal of escaping the Borderland. The paradise burns to the ground when one of the show's deadliest contests, a "Ten of Hearts" challenge called "Witch Hunt," results in all-out chaos yielding an alarmingly high casualty count. But for those that survived, it meant they could move on to the second stage.

Fortunately, in real life, the area called the Beach is still standing. The exterior shot that first introduced viewers to the location in graffiti is actually the Royal Oak Hotel and Spa in Shiga. Unfortunately, the hotel is no longer open for those who want to stay the night, but they can get a glimpse of the outside of the building seen in the series.

Some of the interior shots were taken at the Nanki Shirahama Resort Hotel, including the main hall seen several times in the show. The hotel, which is available for fans to stay at, is located in the Kansai region within the Wakayama Prefecture in a popular beach town destination known as Shirahama. 

There are many recognizable buildings, monuments, and locations witnessed throughout "Alice in Borderland." Of all the sites showcased in the series, there is a particular destination that, amid all the death and mayhem taking place, the iconic Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo represents hope for the characters that are able to survive.

The 798-meter-long suspension bridge was finished in 1993. It crosses over Tokyo Bay, connecting the Shibaura Pier and the Odaiba Waterfront development. The truly magnificent architectural achievement stores solar energy during the day to power its lights, emitting an illuminating display at night, adding to the many reasons a trip to Rainbow Bridge should not be slept on by any fan experiencing an "Alice in Borderland" fan-fueled vacation.

While the characters may all not be the same, and some of the games are vastly different from the manga, some stellar work went into the locations chosen to bring the world of "Alice in Borderland" to the small screen, especially the ones that fans of the Netflix series can visit.