The 10 Best Things To Do In Odaiba, Tokyo

Welcome to Odaiba, another must-visit district in Tokyo. We visited this island in Tokyo Bay on our last day in Japan. It was the perfect way to end our visit to this beautiful country. If you too, want to visit this area of Tokyo and make the most of your visit there, then you’ve reached the right place. In this guide, I will share with you the 10 best things to do in Odaiba.

ODAIBA

Odaiba is an artificial island located in Tokyo Bay. The island was originally built as a set of small “fortresses” to protect Tokyo from sea attacks in 1853. In fact, the word Daiba literally translates into English as “fort”.

In the 1980s, the small fortress islands were joined together by massive landfills and they created the island that we can visit today. The idea was to create a futuristic city but this was never done due to the burst of the bubble economy in Japan.

It was only in the late 1990s that several shopping malls were built and with the improvement of public transport, it became the commercial and amusement area that is today.

These days, Odaiba island is one of the most popular and touristy areas of Tokyo, visited by millions of people every year.

THE 10 BEST THINGS TO DO IN ODAIBA

1. Cross Rainbow Bridge on a Driverless Train

The Rainbow Bridge is the most common way to reach Odaiba Island. It is a 798-meter-long suspended bridge whose towers are painted in white and are illuminated at night lamps with solar energy in rainbow colors. This has given it the name of Rainbow Bridge.

The bridge has two levels, the top deck carries the highway and the lower deck the Yurikamome Rapid Transit Line, which is an elevated driverless train. Most tourists visiting the island, arrive via this train and it is quite a fun experience to go on a driverless train.

2. Admire the Tokyo Skyline

One of my favorite things to do in every city I visit is to admire its skyline and Odaiba is the perfect place to do so. From its waterfront, you will get the best views of the Tokyo Skyline, including the Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Tower, and even Tokyo Skytree in the distance.

It is also the perfect place to watch the sunset and see the city light up. Unfortunately, when we were there, the Rainbow Bridge didn’t light up with its characteristic rainbow colors.

3. Visit the Statue of Liberty

Yes, you’ve read this right. Tokyo has its own Statue of Liberty on Odaiba Island. However, I should clarify that this statue is a replica of the one located in Paris near the Seine, not the one in New York.

Its strategic location in front of the Rainbow Bridge gives the optical impression of being just as big as the one in New York when in fact, it is like a seventh of its size.

4. Walk along Odaiba Beach

Odaiba Beach is one of the two only existing beaches in Tokyo. Even though bathing here is not allowed, it is the perfect place to go for a walk on a warm summer day or enjoy a picnic while you watch the sunset.

5. Admire the Architecture of Fuji TV Building

The Fuji TV Building is one of Tokyo’s most bold and iconic buildings. It was designed by the Japanese architect Tange Kenzo, who is also the designer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku.

Most people admire this building from the Odaiba waterfront to admire its original architecture but, did you know there is an observation deck inside its iconic ball? From here you will get amazing views of Tokyo Bay.

The observation deck is open daily except on Mondays between 10:00 and 18:00.

6. Visit the Tuna Action at Toyosu Fish Market

Toyosu Fish Market is not technically on Odaiba Island but on the nearby island of Toyosu, which is another artificial island. Due to its proximity to Odaiba, it is the perfect activity to include in your itinerary.

The Toyosu Fish Market opened in 2018 to replace the Tsukiji Market which was getting quite old. The market consists of three buildings, two for fish and seafood and one for fruits and vegetables. In the fish buildings, visitors can observe the famous tuna auctions from elevated decks.

7. Go Shopping

As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, these days Odaiba Island is a big commercial area due to the presence of different shopping malls in it. Because of this, shopping is one of the main activities you can do on this island. The most famous shopping malls are:

Aquacity Odaiba. Did you know that on the 5th floor of this mall, you will find a Ramen Theme Park? Here you will be able to taste all kinds of ramen.
Venus Fort. This mall is inspired by an 18th-century Italian city.
Divercity with its Gudam anime show attractions.
Decks Tokyo Beach. Here, on top of shopping you will find Legoland Discovery Center.

8. Watch the show of the Gundam Statue

Speaking of Divercity shopping mall, right in front of it, you will find an original-size Gundam Unicorn Statue. This statue makes a performance at certain times of day. You can find the different performance times on the official website.

Even if you are not in Odaiba at the specific performance time, it is impressive to visit anyway.

9. Visit one of the Museums on the Island

Another common thing to do in Odaiba Island is to visit one of its many museums and exhibitions. This is a perfect activity to do if you’re traveling with kids.

10. Go on a Cruise on the Tokyo Bay

Looking for a different perspective of Tokyo? Why not go on a dinner cruise boat at sunset? Imagine this, you board a boat and you sail at sunset next to the Rainbow Bridge. The city slowly starts to light up while you enjoy a delicious traditional Japanese dinner.

Book your cruise here: Tokyo Bay – Traditional Yakatabune Dinner Cruise

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU NEED TO VISIT ODAIBA?

There are so many things to do and visit in Odaiba that you could easily spend here a day or two. However, let’s be realistic, when we are on holiday, we usually have limited time and have to choose what we visit and what we skip.

If you’re just planning on visiting the main sites and maybe visiting an expo or a museum, I think half a day is more or less enough. In general, I would recommend visiting Odaiba in the afternoon to enjoy the sunset from here. However, if you want to witness the tuna auctions in Toyosu Market, you will have to visit very early in the morning.

GETTING TO ODAIBA ISLAND

There are many ways to reach Odaiba Island but I recommend using the Yurikamome elevated train line. Not only it is the fastest but you would be already crossing out the first thing to do in Odaiba from this article! This train departs from Shinbasi station and it is a very interesting experience to do so. If possible, try to get on either the first or last wagon of the train to enjoy the views.

If you don’t care for this driverless train experience, then you can also reach Odaiba in one of the following ways:

By regular train
By boat
By crossing the Rainbow Bridge on foot. If you want to go for this option, please consider that it will take approximately 1 hour to cross the bridge. However, the views from the bridge will be worth it.

EATING IN ODAIBA

There are many options to eat in Odaiba at the different shopping malls. Many of them, will even have amazing views of Tokyo skyline while you eat some delicious food. Here are some suggestions:

Kua’Aina
Sakura Sushi Counter

Another option, if the weather allows for it, is grabbing something to go from a combini and having a picnic outside while you enjoy the views. Just remember to bring a plastic bag to keep your garbage with you until you find a garbage bin.

In our case, we got some coffee and a little sweet treat and enjoyed it on the waterfront while we enjoyed a beautiful sunny afternoon in Odaiba.

MAP WITH ALL LOCATIONS

And that’s it for my blog about the 10 best things to do in Odaiba. I hope you liked it and found it useful. Let me know what you think in the comments!

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