Directed by Michiko Namiki, Aya Narakino, and Hiroaki Matsuyama, “Fishbowl Wives” is a Japanese drama television series on Netflix. It follows the lives of six women residing in a luxury apartment tower, who end up engaging in infidelity due to their unhappy marriages. One of these ladies is Sakura Hiraga whose aspirations are shattered after a tragic accident. Her husband runs a hair salon and they live together in a large penthouse apartment. However, unbeknownst to the world, her seemingly perfect husband is physically and verbally abusing her.
Sakura feels that her situation resembles that of a goldfish trapped in a fishbowl and therefore considers having one as a symbol of irony. However, her life changes when she meets a charming young man because of his goldfish. Against the backdrop of an upscale apartment building and the lavish but dark lives of its inhabitants, the visuals of “Fishbowl Wives” beautifully portray the thin line between morality and immorality as well as the need for love. . If you’re curious where it’s filmed, here are all the details you need.
Fishbowl Wives Filming Locations
“Fishbowl Wives” is shot entirely on location in Japan, specifically in Tokyo. Principal photography for Season 1 likely took place in the summer of 2021. Now let’s take a closer look at the filming locations.
Tokyo, Japan
Most of “Fishbowl Wives” Season 1 was filmed in Tokyo, the densely populated capital of Japan. The sprawling metropolis is the world’s largest urban economy and an important political, cultural and economic hub. Tokyo is bordered all around by the prefectures of Yamanashi, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama. Additionally, its geographical area consists of 23 special wards, 2 outlying island chains, and various suburban towns and suburbs.
Some of the famous sites in the city include the Imperial Palace, Tokyo National Museum, Meiji Shinto Shrine, Tokyo Tower, and Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Tokyo is home to some of the most high-tech film and television studios in the country and is therefore a popular filming location. The films ‘Lost in Translation’, ‘Inception’ and ‘Home Sweet Home Alone’ as well as the television series ‘The Journalist’ were filmed in the city.
Is Fishbowl Wives a true story?
No, ‘Fishbowl Wives’ is not a true story. It is based on the manga “Kingyotsuma” by Ryō Kurosawa, which is an anthology series about married women who commit adultery. The manga has been adapted for the screen by Ryō Kurosawa, Fumi Tsubota, Miyako, and Tomomi Matoba. Although the source material for the series is a graphic novel, it is most likely inspired by real people’s experiences.
“Fishbowl Wives” delves into the complexities of adult relationships and the harsh reality of loneliness in marriages. It further shows how immoral giving in to the temptation of infidelity can be, but the reasons are often not so unjustified. Several TV shows have deftly explored similar themes of troubled marriages, such as the drama TV miniseries “Scenes from a Marriage,” which is about the disintegration of marriage between a divorce lawyer and a psychology professor.
The Netflix drama TV series “Sex/Life” follows Billie, a middle-aged mother whose marriage is risky after the arrival of her former lover Brad. She is thus torn between giving in to her thirst for past passions and maintaining her ordinary family life. To sum up, even though “Fishbowl Wives” isn’t based on real incidents, the stellar performances from the actors and the relatable narrative make it very realistic. Additionally, the raw depiction of human flaws and emotions adds a believable touch to the series.
Read more: Best KDrama on Netflix
