Odaiba is a hottest new tourism spot in Tokyo. It is futuristic artificial city built on top of the Tokyo Bay landfill. It is situated on the waterfront and is a nice daytrip within Tokyo.
It was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s, dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential and leisure area.
We spent a whole day on this island. My kids loved this place the minute we came out of the train station. From the exciting Miraikan Science Centre to admiring the beautiful Fuji TV building, to walks along the Marine Park, photographing the Rainbow Bridge, Gundam, and shopping.
Odaiba has quite a bit on offer. The many retail outlets, museums, science centres, theme parks, attractions, giant Gundam statue, and even a replica of the Statue of Liberty. It is day’s worth of stuff all in one place. And just like the rest of Tokyo, easily accessible via public transport.
Major attractions include:
- Palette Town:
- Daikanransha, a 115-metre (377 ft) Ferris wheel
- Megaweb, exhibition hall of car maker Toyota
- Tokyo Leisure Land, 24-hour video gaming, karaoke, bowling
- Venus Fort, a Venice-themed shopping mall
- Fuji Television studios with a distinctive building designed by Kenzo Tange
- MORI Building Digital Art Museum
- Rainbow Bridge connecting Odaiba to the heart of Tokyo
- Tokyo Big Sight Tokyo International Exhibition Center
- Aqua City shopping center
- Diver City shopping center
- Gundam Base Tokyo, featuring an 22-meter (72 feet) tall Gundam Statue
- Zepp DiverCity
- Decks Tokyo Beach shopping mall, featuring Sega Joypolis and Little Hong Kong
- Museum of Maritime Science (Fune no kagakukan) with swimming pool
- Shiokaze park with BBQ places and Higashi Yashio park
- Telekom Center Building (MXTV’sformer headquarters) with observation deck
- A replica of the Statue of Liberty
- Panasonic Centre, a science and technology showroom
- Madame Tussauds
- Lego land
There’s plenty to see there, but don’t expect traditional Japan in any way. If you have a few days in Tokyo, I would mix it into one of your days to experience this Island. The views of the city, Rainbow Bridge and the city skyline are all very impressive. My kids loved the lighted stairs at night. I recommend coming in the evening to see the sunset behind Tokyo and then see all the bright light at night from the Ferris wheel.
Love this beautiful place, very peaceful and beautiful especially in the evening.