Odaiba

What to know

Odaiba (お台場) is a popular shopping and entertainment district on a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. It started as a set of small artificial fort islands (daiba means "fort"), built in the late Edo Period (1603–1868) to defend Tokyo against sea attacks, particularly in response to Commodore Perry's gunboat diplomacy.

More than a century later, the small islands were merged into larger ones through massive landfills, and Tokyo launched an ambitious development project in the extravagant 1980s to turn them into a futuristic city district. However, progress slowed dramatically after the burst of the "bubble economy" in the early 1990s, leaving Odaiba nearly empty.

It wasn't until the late 1990s, when several hotels, shopping malls, and the Yurikamome elevated train line opened, that Odaiba became a popular tourist attraction and dating spot, offering a wide range of shopping, dining, and leisure options.

Despite early setbacks, several lavish projects were completed, including some of Tokyo's boldest architectural creations, such as the Fuji TV Building, Telecom Center, and Tokyo Big Sight. Modern city planning also gives Odaiba plenty of green space and a pleasant separation of vehicle and pedestrian traffic via elevated walkways.

Getting to Odaiba can be an attraction in itself, as the views of the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo's harbor and waterfront from the Yurikamome elevated train and boats are spectacular. You can also walk across the Rainbow Bridge.

The Yurikamome is an automated, elevated train with rubber tires, connecting Shimbashi Station on the Yamanote Line with all of Odaiba's attractions and Toyosu Station on the Yurakucho Subway Line. Trains run every few minutes, and a ride from Shimbashi to Daiba Station takes 15 minutes and costs 330 yen (not covered by the Japan Rail Pass). If you ride the Yurikamome more than twice, a 1-day pass for 820 yen is likely worth it.