Where was Netflix's Beyond Goodbye series filmed? All filming locations explored

The Netflix series Beyond Goodbye tells the tale of Saeko, a woman who loses her fiancee in a bus accident moments after he proposes to her. The series was shot across multiple locations in Japan, Hawaii, and New Zealand to capture Saeko's journey as she grapples with grief, ideas of reincarnation, and letting go.

Saeko, played by Kasumi Arimura, is seen traveling to Hawaii to work at a coffee plantation. While at the airport, she hears a traveler playing the same song that her late fiancee, Yusuke, used to play. Unbeknownst to her, this person, Kazumasa Naruse, is the recipient of Yusuke's heart.

Saeko, who lives in Japan, also comes to terms with Yusuke's reincarnation in Naruse's body when she goes back to her home country.

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All major filming locations in Beyond Goodbye

1) Hokkaido, Japan

One of the locations of Beyond Goodbye is Hokkaido in Japan. The country is heavily featured in the plot since the pivotal bus accident that killed Saeko's fiancee took place there.

In an interview with The Japan Times, published on November 29, 2024, director Hiroshi Kurosaki said that he feels the Japanese entertainment industry needs to look beyond the shores of their country and curate content for a global audience.

"It's not good to think only of Japan. It seems that people in the U.S. are already watching it [Beyond Goodbye]. And I'm very happy to hear that people in Korea, the Philippines and other Asian countries are also watching it," Hiroshi Kurosaki said.

Kurosaki's choice of filming locations, however, extends beyond Japan, catering the series to an international audience.

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2) New Zealand

Some of the scenes set in Hawaii in Beyond Goodbye were actually shot in New Zealand due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, as per the Beijing Times. As the strikes were ongoing during the production, the team relocated filming to New Zealand to continue work on the show.

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3) Hawaii

The island state of Hawaii in America is also featured in Beyond Goodbye's plot. Saeko travels there to work on a coffee plantation and unexpectedly meets Naruse. The show captures Saeko's internal conflict as she comes to terms with the fact that Naruse has imbued many skills, likes, and talents of her late fiancee.

Naruse, who did not like coffee nor was well-versed in playing the piano, suddenly finds himself playing a rendition of The Jackson 5's jazz number, I Want You Back, at the Honolulu airport.

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What happened in Beyond Goodbye

Saeko grapples with grief, loss, and ideas of reincarnation in the series (Image via YouTube/)

Following Naruse's heart transplant, Saeko wrestles with believing that a part of her fiancee lives on in Naruse when he remembers memories of their time together. The show takes a tragic turn when he suffers from complications following the surgery, leaving him with only a few days to live.

Saeko and Naruse's wife, Miki, bond as they reconcile their feelings of loss and grief following Kazumasa Naruse's death. It ends with Saeko seeing a rainbow, a symbol of peace, and moving on.

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All episodes of Beyond Goodbye are available to stream on Netflix.