Have a Blast at Odaiba

If you want to enjoy a day of shopping or find a good place to pass the time, visit Odaiba. This artificial island in Tokyo Bay is a hotspot for shopping and entertainment.

Odaiba started out as six artificial fort islands made during the Edo period to protect Tokyo from sea attacks.  Tokyo Governor Shun’ichi Suzuki began developing the islands, spending around 1 trillion yen. But it wouldn’t bear fruit until the late 1990s, when it became a leisure and tourist spot as well. By the 20th century, the fort islands had been expanded so that they could be used as a commercial and residential area.

Odaiba District

Odaiba has numerous places of interest. Here are some of them:

The Fuji TV Area

The Fuji Television building, fully earthquake-proof, is a popular Odaiba  landmark. The surrounding area is well known for its various shopping malls such as Decks and DiverCity Tokyo Plaza.

DiverCity has the Gundam Front Tokyo, which proudly displays a gigantic Gundam statue, and a shop for those who love mecha anime. Then there’s’ Decks with its indoor theme parks and a Legoland Discovery Center.

Telecom Center

Telecom Center houses huge satellite antennas and an observation deck that provides spectacular views of the city and Mt. Fuji.  There is also lots to see within this area such as the National Museum of Emerging Technologies, also known as Miraikan, with its exhibits on robots, biology, and space exploration. Oeno Onsen Monogatari is both an onsen resort and a theme park, filled with hot spring baths, games, and restaurants.

Shinkansen at Odaiba

Palette Town

Palette Town contains the Venus Fort, Toyota Mega Web, Leisureland, and one of the world’s largest Ferris wheels. Venus Fort is a shopping mall made to look like an 18th century town.

By contrast, Toyota Mega Web is a showroom that exhibits the latest cars and car gadgets.  Leisureland is a good place to pass the time with arcade games, bowling alleys, etc.

Tokyo International Exhibition Center

Nicknamed Tokyo Big Site, the Center is one of the largest convention venues in Tokyo. Its iconic Conference Tower is an eight-story building with the distinctive architectural shape of four inverted pyramids set on giant supports.

There are a variety of ways to get into Odaiba. Two of the more enjoyable routes are through the Rainbow Bridge and via the Yurikamome Monorail, both providing great views of Odaiba.

KCP Japanese Anime and Manga students recently visited Odaiba. Read more about it here!