O Mere Shah-e-Khuba: The Song

I am not someone who has any background in Urdu, but this language is so popular in Bollywood that you do know some phrases, words and accolades. O Mere Shah-e-Khuba, is one of that, if you deconstruct each word, it can losely be translated as "the most beautiful among the beautiful". Thats the song which is in Love in Tokyo the 1966 movie filmed in Japan.

Movie: Love in Tokyo, Year: 1966

Director: Pramod Chakravorty

Stars: Joy Mukherjee, Asha Parekh, Mehmood, Pran

Are there any Kyoto locations in this film?

Filmed in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Iwakuni City in Yamaguchi prefecture (yes they even went all the way to Iwakuni a place I have not gone in my 26 years stay in Japan) and only a fleeting two frames in Kyoto. Yes literally two frames as far as I have researched. Kyoto is usually at the top of the bucket list and having just two frames that too in a rather less known spot bewilders me. 

For Tokyo Locations go to this article : Love in Tokyo : Spots in Tokyo 

Heian Jinja (A shrine for hide and seek🙂)

Ok so we do know that Bollywood has some cringe things. Actors dance around trees and sing songs and that is presented as romance to us. Whatever you think of that, but using an iconic shrine the Heian Shrine in Kyoto for a hide-and-seek between Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh is imagination! 

• The Spot: Heian Shrine in Kyoto

• How to get there: From Kyoto Station, take Karasuma Subway Line and get off at Karasuma Oike (3 stops) and change to Tozai Line and get off at Higashiyama Station.

• Google Maps Link: View on Google Maps

Hide and Seek Song

Joy Mukherjee spends time in this song O Mere Shah-e Khuba hiding from Asha Parekh and 90% of the song is filmed at Ikutsushima Shrine in Hiroshima except for the below and one more frame. This pond where Asha Parekh is seen jumping on the concrete blocks trying to find him, I first tried locating this in Hiroshima and could not find it. Since this is before the LLM/ChatGPT days, I asked around on some forums in India and one person responded to me saying that it might be somewhere in Kyoto. I then reviewed the whole song and in that not only this spot, but one more frame with the shrine stood out as "not in Hiroshima". A Japanese colleague from Kyoto said, "Hey I know this is Heian Shrine". Neat!

GREAT! I went with my daughter to Kyoto for her Rubik Cube competition in 2017 and we decided to visit this shrine and locate the filming location. THERE IT WAS....

See the bottom right part, even the tree still is there. My daughter wasted no time in walkingon those blocks which is something all Japanese were also enjoying!

Cherry Blossoms Season at Heian Shrine

The next frame which appears from Heian Shrine also shows that the season in which this film was shot was mostly March end to April end since you can clearly see the Cherry blossoms at the Heian Shrine. Joy Mukherjee is standing in front of the spot which also we could locate on the premises 

No changes here either

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was Love in Tokyo filmed in Tokyo?

The movie was filmed across several Tokyo landmarks including Hibiya Park, Tokyo Tower, Ginza, Ueno Park, Haneda Airport, and the Imperial Palace area. 

Where else was the Love in Tokyo filmed in Japan?

The movie was filmed across three prominent locations other than Tokyo. Hiroshima, Kyoto and most importantly the Iwakuni City in Yamaguchi Prefecture! Iwakuni is the least known location and many also mistake the Kyoto location as Hiroshima (the song in which the Kyoto location is, has been shot 90% in Hiroshima and 10% in Kyoto) 

Have you visited these other than Kyoto and Tokyo locations? 

Absolutely have visited every location. You can check our articles below to see the coverage and visit yourself.

Tokyo Locations - Love in Tokyo filming locatins across Ueno, Ginza, Hibiya, Haneda etc

Kyoto Locations - Heian Shrine in Kyoto for O-Mere-Shah-e-Khuba

Iwakuni Locations - Love in Tokyo FIlming location in Yamaguchi Prefecture

Hiroshima Locations - Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Miyajima Island Ikutsushima Shrine

Can you still visit the Love in Tokyo filming locations?

Yes. Most locations still exist and remain accessible to visitors, although the surrounding cityscape has changed significantly over the last 50 years. 

Which Love in Tokyo locations have changed the most?

Tokyo Station, Ginza and Akasaka Mitsuke have undergone major redevelopment, while Hibiya Park remains remarkably recognizable.