You Only Live Twice (film) Mie Hama were eventually chosen and started taking English classes in the UK. Hama, initially cast in the role of Tanaka's assistant, had difficulty with the language, so the producers switched her role with Wakabayashi, who had been cast as Kissy, a part with significantly less dialogue. Wakabayashi only requested that her character name, "Suki", be changed to "Aki". Filming of "You Only Live Twice" lasted from July 1966 to March 1967. The film was shot primarily in Japan. Himeji Castle in Hyōgo Prefecture was depicted as Tanaka's ninja training camp. His private transportation hub was filmed at the Tokyo
You Only Live Twice (film) it had pace and spectacle. Christopher Null considered the film one of James Bond's most memorable adventures, but the plot "protracting and quite confusing". Ali Barclay of "BBC Films" panned Dahl's script displaying "a whole new world of villainy and technology." Leo Goldsmith lauded the volcano base as "the most impressive of Ken Adam's sets for the franchise." Danny Peary wrote that "You Only Live Twice" "should have been about twenty minutes shorter" and described it as "not a bad Bond film, but it doesn't compare to its predecessors — the formula had become a little stale." IGN ranked "You