 The Japanese resort hotel that appears in the film is modeled on the  Fujiya Hotel, located in the village of Miyanoshita near Mount Fuji.  This famous hotel was actually commissioned by the U.S. Army as a  "rest and relaxation" hotel for American soldiers for several years  after World War II, and possibly up to the Korean War. The exterior  shots of the hotel are real, but the lobby scenes appear to be  studio replicas of the original lobby.