Odaiba [お台場] is one of the most fun places in Tokyo – a huge entertainment and shopping island in the bay. In this article, we will look at everything this remarkable island has to offer, from the Rainbow Bridge to the shopping malls and museums.
The trip there is part of the fun: just take the Yurikamome line, which carries you across Tokyo Bay. During the ride, you can take in the scenery, snap countless photos and even see the famous Rainbow Bridge up close.
Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, also known as Rainbow Town. It sits about six kilometres from the city centre and belongs to Minato ward. The island was created in 1986 as part of a major urban development project.
Its construction used around 110 million cubic metres of earth and incinerated waste. Today Odaiba is a major tourism and leisure destination, with enormous entertainment complexes, themed shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and residential developments.
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Main tourist attractions in Odaiba
Odaiba is home to some of Tokyo's most original architecture. Below are the main attractions, museums, complexes and other highlights that make this island so popular:
Rainbow Bridge – A modern bridge completed in August 1993. It is decorated with 444 lights that take on a special colour depending on the festival, event or time of year.
Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center) – The venue for many of the year's most important events, including the Tokyo Motor Show.
Fuji Television Building – The headquarters of Fuji Television is one of Odaiba's landmarks. The building has a striking design and offers a great view. It is open to visitors, and you can see the recording studios and exhibitions about the TV shows.
The Ferris wheel – Odaiba has a 110-metre-tall Ferris wheel that offers a magical view at night.
Toyota Mega Web – A Toyota exhibition space showcasing all the brand's latest models.
Panasonic Center – A complex showcasing Panasonic's latest technologies: computers, TVs, games, home appliances and more. On the third floor there is a museum of mathematics and science.
Leisureland – An entertainment complex with arcade games, bowling alleys, karaoke, darts, tennis and sports games.
Oedo Onsen Monogatari – An onsen-themed park that recreates the atmosphere of the Edo period. You enter a small Edo-style town, slip into a yukata and can also visit a mixed footbath.
Telecommunications Center – You can climb up to an observation deck covered in satellite dishes. The view over Tokyo Bay is fantastic, and on a clear day you can even see Mount Fuji.
Unko Museum in Odaiba – In this museum, everything is shaped like poop or a toilet. Balloons, food, toilets with poop inside and many colourful, funny things to see. Don't miss the chance to visit the Unko Museum in Japan!
Rainbow Bridge – the rainbow bridge
The Rainbow Bridge (レインボーブリッジ) in Tokyo is one of Japan's most beautiful landmarks. Construction started in 1987 and finished in 1993, taking six years. The bridge has a main span of 570 metres and a total length of 798 metres, with two levels.
It connects Shibaura Pier with Odaiba and Minato-ku, making it easy to reach other tourist attractions, shopping malls and restaurants in Tokyo. The bridge can be reached from Tamachi or Shibaura stations.
From the bridge, you can see Tokyo Bay, the Tokyo Tower, the Tokyo Skytree, the Odaiba waterfront and, on a clear day, even Mount Fuji. The support towers are painted white so that they blend with the sky over central Tokyo.
The bridge gets its "rainbow" name from the red, white and green lamps that light it up at night, which are powered by solar energy charged during the day.
On each side of the bridge there is a pedestrian walkway, free for anyone to use to enjoy the scenery. Bicycles are not allowed on the bridge or on the walkway. For more details, check the video from the Santana channel on YouTube.
Mori Building Digital Art Museum (teamLab Borderless)
The Mori Building Digital Art Museum teamLab Borderless is an amazing place in Odaiba. This is not an ordinary museum: it is fully digital, extremely colourful and impresses even people who don't usually enjoy museums.
It is perfect for a romantic date, for families with children and for visitors of all ages. You enter a universe of colour built with mirrors, LEDs, spotlights, 3D cameras, augmented reality and other techniques.
There are more than 50 works, some of which interact with the visitors. As soon as you step inside, you find yourself in a room full of mirrors and animations. Artworks and colourful images move across the floor and walls, combined with effects created by strategically placed mirrors.
I had the chance to explore this incredible museum myself – you can find a video of the experience on YouTube.
Miraikan – National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation
The Miraikan is a national science museum showcasing Japan's achievements in science and technology. It was founded in 2001 in Tokyo, recently renovated, and is located in Odaiba.
The name Miraikan literally translates as "corridor of the future", and its full official name is the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. The museum is especially popular with families, who gather here on weekends and holidays for the educational and fun activities on offer.
The centrepiece is a large sphere called Tsunagari, covered with an LED display designed by German artist Ingo Gunther. The sphere displays real-time visualisations of historical and future scientific data.
Another permanent exhibition shows the earthquakes that regularly hit Japan in real time, including the micro-tremors that occur almost continuously. Other sections cover space, the deep sea, robotics, physics, environmental science and biology.
Each year the museum also hosts several special exhibitions. Thanks to its strong connections with Japanese and international research institutions, it consistently attracts high-quality shows.
Beyond science, the Miraikan is known for the variety of events and exhibitions that touch on art and society as well. As the name suggests, the museum focuses on the future and raises open questions about the fate of humanity.
The shopping complexes of Odaiba
Venus Fort – This themed shopping centre, named after the Roman goddess, is great for photos. As soon as you step inside, you feel transported to ancient Rome: the ceiling shows an artificial blue sky, which can produce interesting effects in your photos.
DiverCity Tokyo Plaza – A gigantic multi-floor shopping mall, best known for the giant Gundam statue at its entrance. When I visited, idol events were still being held there. The original Gundam statue has since been replaced with a more modern model.
Also worth a mention is Aquacity Odaiba, a shopping centre that includes a cinema complex. And finally, Decks Tokyo Beach is another shopping centre with stores, restaurants and theme parks.
Have you had the chance to visit this artificial island in Tokyo? Don't miss it if you get the chance! We look forward to your comments and shares.
We also recommend reading:
- Yoyogi Park – the largest park in Tokyo
- Walking in Tokyo – Ginza, Ikebukuro and Shibuya
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