Sofia Coppola had a script, but turning Lost in Translation into a feature required a burst of creativity. It was shot over 27 days, working mostly six days a week. The Department Heads were mostly from America working alongside Japanese Department Heads and a mostly Japanese crew. The script was mostly to nail down the dramatic beats and dialogue scenes, but there was a lot left open depending on what locations would be available. D.P. Lance Acord used the camera like a tourist on holiday grabbing snapshots of the city while the actors stayed in character in the foreground.
Rather than come in like Hollywood invading Japan, Coppola decided she would have to embrace the cultural differences and learn to work within them. That included very strict rules for location permits where if the shoot goes over, the owner of the location has the right to unplug you because you are disrespecting him. (This happened at the shabu-shabu restaurant.) When Japanese extras showed up for the nighttime fire alarm scene, they were dressed in business suits. It was up to Costume Designer Nancy Steiner to dress them in pajamas and nightgowns, not the Background’s job to bring options.
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