Travel Guide
Introduction
Odaiba is a popular shopping and entertainment district on a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. Since its construction in the early 1990s, Odaiba has been transformed from an abandoned island into a shrine for futuristic designs and technologies. It was designed to be a world only thought to exist in science fiction. It features more than a dozen boldly designed buildings that include the Telecom Center, Tokyo Big Sight and the Fuji TV Building which is one of the main landmarks in Odaiba. It is impossible to see and enjoy all of Odaiba's attractions in a single day.
Almost everything in Odaiba was designed to represent a futuristic version of Japan. The National Museum of Emerging Science has recently made headlines for its highly advanced robotics exhibit, which includes Asimo, the world's most advanced humanoid robot. Another well-known robot is the 18-meter Gundam statue built in front of the newly opened Diver City. The giant robot, or mecha, was constructed on a 1:1 scale with the original robots featured in the cult classic series called Gundam.
The center of the district is Palette Town where the main attractions of Odaiba are located: Venus Fort, Mega Web, Aqua City and others. You can easily find Palette Town because of the world's biggest Ferris wheel towering over it. It is one hundred and fifteen meters high. There are always a lot of tourists who want to admire the bird's-eye view of the city. At night when the Ferris wheel is artistically illuminated it turns into one of the most popular dating places.
If you are more interested in spending a day in natural picturesque surrounding than exploring ultimate technologies, Odaiba offers you the Shiokaze Koen (Sea Breeze Park). You can not only walk around the largest park in the district but also organize a wonderful picnic there. You can rent tables and special equipment for barbecue and set a feast in the open air.
Reaching Odaiba can be an adventure in itself! There are several ways to get there, and all of them involve a breathtaking view of the waterfront area and Tokyo harbor. Odaiba offers visitors the unique opportunity to walk, ride a train or take a boat ride to the island. If you're planning on walking, you can easily reach Odaiba on foot from the Rainbow Bridge. The walk is not particularly long; averaging between thirty and forty-five minutes each way, but it can be very windy. The walking path begins a short distance from Shibaura-futo Station and the return trip begins at the Odaiba Kaihinkoen Station. For added safety, the walking path is for pedestrians only, meaning that no bicycles are allowed.
Besides the sights mentioned Odaiba has many other attractions to offer and is tailored to fit the interests of everyone. All types of people visit the town of entertainments every day - from couples, looking for romantic places for an unforgettable date, to families with children who come from different parts of Japan to rest and have fun.
History
The word “Odaiba” comes from Daiba which means "fort". Daiba originated as a series of six island fortresses which were built in the 1853 by Tokugawa shogunate to protect Tokyo against possible attacks from the sea and specifically in response to the gunboat diplomacy of Commodore Perry who had arrived in the same year. By the end of the 20th century, only two from six batteries (the third and the sixth) had been maintained.
People add “O” to “Daiba” to pay respect to the Tokugawa shogunate.
In 1928, the Dai-San Daiba or "No. 3 Battery" was refurbished and opened to the public as the Metropolitan Daiba Park, which remains open to this day.
Odaiba 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. Odaiba, along with Minato Mirai 21 in Yokohama, are two of the only places in the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan area where the seashore is accessible, and not blocked by industry and harbor areas.
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| Odaiba Kaihin Park | Decks Tokyo Beach | Odaiba Aquacity and Fuji TV Building |
Travel Advice
There are plenty of eating options in Odaiba's shopping malls and attractions. In the Aqua City there are around 150 restaurants and cafes, considered to be simply the best in Tokyo, and the largest in Japan shopping mall. Or you can have imposing view from the restaurants located in Decks Tokyo Beach.
Visit
| Address | Daiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo | |
| Phone | ||
| Admission | Free | |
| Hours | Free time | |
| Closed | Open 7 Days a Week | |
| Duration | 2 hours | |
| Getting There | By Train 10 minutes walk from Odaiba-kaihinkoen Station, Daiba Station, Aomi Station, Fune-no-kagakukan Station, Telecom Center Station on Yurikagome Line. 10 minutes walk from Tokyo Teleport Station on Linkai Line. 5 minutes walk from Odaiba-kaihinkoen stop on Sumida River Cruise. By Car Take Rout 11 (Daiba Route) of Shuto Expressway to the Daiba exit. It is approximately 3 minutes from exit. Take Wangan Route of Shuto Expressway to the Ariake exit or Rinkai-fukutoshin. It is approximately 4 minutes from exit. |
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| Parking | Paid parking available | |
Attractions in Japan