Shubhabrata Dutta
Netflix’s ‘Bullet Train Explosion’ is a Japanese action thriller movie that pits a train full of people against the rest of Japan in a terrorist plot. A reboot of the ‘Bullet Train’ (1975), the movie centers on the state-of-the-art Hayabusa 60 Shinkansen (bullet train) going from Aomori to Tokyo, which receives the threat of bombs that will go off if it slows below 100 km/hour. This is unless the anonymous terrorists receive a ransom of ¥100 billion.
In a race against time, the railway authorities and the Japanese government must work together to find the culprits while ensuring that the train and the innocent passengers remain safe at all costs. As the story progresses, the crisis management faces many obstacles, often resulting in clashes between parties and raising the stakes further. Helmed by Shinji Higuchi, ‘Bullet Train Explosion’ received cooperation from the East Japan Railway Company, which enabled them to be more practical in their approach.
Bullet Train Explosion Filming Locations
The filming of ‘Bullet Train Explosion’ took place entirely in Tokyo, Japan. Principal photography reportedly began in September 2024 and went on for a few weeks before wrapping up in November of the same year. While many close-up shots of the train were also captured using miniatures, the assistance from the railway authorities provided the production team with real indoor and outdoor locations to add a sense of realism to the tension in the narrative. A well-curated mix of real and custom sets resulted in a visually stunning action movie that successfully manages to take the viewers on a gripping journey.
Tokyo, Japan
Capturing real stuff on camera was a priority for the crew, especially since the story demanded showcasing a feeling of uncertainty through the visuals. Thus, the team approached the production from a realistic angle, opting for real trains, sets, and miniatures as much as they could and then enhancing them in post-production using visual effects. The collaboration with the East Japan Railway Company enabled the production crew to gain access to train stations, depots, and railway facilities. So, almost all the indoor scenes you see in the movie, be it in a station or the control room, are captured for real.
As far as the bullet train itself is concerned, the production crew was able to rent a real train. During the Netflix Asia-Pacific (APAC) showcase in Tokyo in April 2025, Shinichi Takahashi, the director of live action content for Netflix Japan, revealed that the team was “able to rent an entire bullet train and film it in motion seven times, travelling back and forth from Tokyo to Aomori.” This naturally helped emphasize the fast-paced nature of the action and the race-against-time aspect. Two full-sized bullet train cars were also constructed to shoot the scenes inside the train, which constitute the major part of the plot. A lot of care was taken to replicate the car interiors, including the use of authentic materials for the seats and the stuff found on the walls, like the various symbols and notices.
For the train explosion shots, the team built a 1/6 scale model train rather than the usual 1/20 scale. The large size required more distance to pick up speed, so the camera also had to move fast. While this required more work, the resulting sequences carry more intensity. The unusual scale reportedly brought people from the special effects department to the set as they wanted to experience it live. In addition to this, the team reportedly used the ALFA-X, a real-world experimental Shinkansen model, to shoot many scenes. While it is mainly used for testing purposes on the Tohoku Shinkansen line, the decision to use a real operational train was a plus for the narrative of ‘Bullet Train Explosion,’ and to an extent, for the overall aesthetic.
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