Maps of Movies

Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

Where Tora! Tora! Tora! says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

The Japanese half of Pearl Harbor was built in Kyoto and on a Fukuoka beach; only the harbor scenes were shot at Pearl Harbor itself.

Scenes and places

Tokyo, September 1940: the Navy digs in against the Army (1940)

Japanese army figures and politicians push for an alliance with Germany and Italy against the opposition of the navy. Yoshida, the newly installed Navy Minister, vows to keep fighting the Army. Meanwhile the Pacific fleet's move to Pearl Harbor is already a worry for Japan.

Set in Prime Minister's residence and Navy Ministry, Tokyo — Japanese politicians and naval officers argue over an alliance with Germany and Italy and the looming embargo. (Point is central Tokyo; the exact buildings are not given.) Google Maps · Apple Maps

A Kyoto film studio that has staged Japanese period and war films for decades; here it stands in for central Tokyo.

Filmed at Toei Kyoto Studio, Uzumasa, Kyoto — The prime minister's residence, Navy Ministry and Nagato admiral's cabin sets were built here and dismantled in January 1969. Point is the present-day film park, not the exact stage. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Washington: Hull and Stimson press Nomura (1941)

Hull tells a colleague the Japanese are only stalling and that Nomura was sent to buy time. When the ambassador arrives, he is received politely while Stimson of the War Department sits in, and Nomura presents questions from his government.

Set in Secretary of State's office, Washington, D.C. — The Secretary of State and the head of the War Department receive the Japanese ambassador. (Point is central Washington; the office is not located precisely.) Google Maps · Apple Maps

The film's U.S. government rooms are sets; no filming location for them is given in the sources used.

Yamamoto's gamble: torpedo planes at Pearl Harbor (1941)

Yamamoto accepts that his plan is a gamble: sink the American Pacific fleet at the outset or lose the war. An officer is stunned that torpedo planes could work in such a shallow harbor, and Yamamoto points to the British at Taranto. He asks for a detailed plan and Genda is named to draw it up.

Set in Battleship Nagato, Combined Fleet flagship — Yamamoto's flagship; at sea, so there is no fixed place on land.

Nagato was the Combined Fleet flagship; here its deck is rebuilt as a film set on land.

Filmed at Ashiya coast, Fukuoka — A full-scale Nagato set was built on the Ashiya shore. Point is the town centre; the set's exact position is not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Aboard the carrier Akagi: the new Zero (1941)

Genda inspects the new Type 21 Zero with folding wings and is told it will let the carrier take more fighters. A friend says Genda's days on the ship are numbered because he is going to the Third Fleet with a promotion, and Genda has the telegram to prove it.

Set in Aircraft carrier Akagi, flight deck — The Japanese carrier whose air staff officer plans the strike; at sea, so no fixed place on land.

Akagi was one of the carriers that led the Pearl Harbor strike; the film rebuilt her deck full size.

Filmed at Ashiya coast, Fukuoka (Akagi deck set) — The full-size Akagi set was built here, with the bridge wrongly placed on the starboard side. Point is the town centre. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Oahu: planes lined up wingtip to wingtip (1941)

General Short asks why the planes must be parked that way, and the answer is that sabotage is the main danger on an island with many Japanese residents. He tells an aide to make changes, and the aircraft end up concentrated on the runways.

Set in Army airfield on Oahu — An Army air base on Oahu; the sources do not say which field.

The film shows the fear of sabotage on Hawaii in 1941 as the reason for the parking layout.

Dawn: the Japanese fleet launches its aircraft (1941)

At dawn on December 7 the Japanese fleet sends its aircraft into the air. The strike force is on its way to Pearl Harbor.

Set in Japanese carrier fleet, north of Hawaii — The strike force at sea on the morning of December 7, 1941; no fixed place on land.

Naval Air Station North Island sits across from San Diego and was a hub of U.S. naval aviation.

Filmed at Off San Diego (flights land at NAS North Island) — USS Yorktown, disguised, sailed a few miles west of San Diego for the dawn launches. Point is the air station, not the spot at sea. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The attack on Pearl Harbor (1941)

Two radar operators detect approaching planes but their report is dismissed, and the Japanese achieve complete surprise. The attack causes catastrophic damage to several battleships and leaves American aircraft vulnerable on the ground.

Set in Pearl Harbor, Oahu — The Pacific fleet's base, where the Japanese achieve complete surprise on December 7, 1941. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A natural harbor on Oahu, home of the U.S. Pacific Fleet since 1940 and now a memorial site.

Filmed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii — Aircraft off-loaded from the carrier were used to film the attack scenes in and around Pearl Harbor. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Filmed at Pearl Harbor (USS Kearsarge arrives) — Carrier entering Pearl Harbor Google Maps · Apple Maps

Filmed at Toei Kyoto and Shochiku Kyoto studios — Japanese interior scenes Google Maps · Apple Maps

Characters

• Isoroku Yamamoto — Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet who reluctantly plans a pre-emptive strike on Pearl Harbor.
• Minoru Genda — Air Staff Officer chosen to mastermind the Pearl Harbor operation.
• Kichisaburo Nomura — Japanese ambassador to Washington who keeps negotiating while his government prepares for war.