Odaiba: Scenic Views, Entertainment, and More

Spectacular Views at Bayside City

Odaiba, built on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, is a popular destination welcoming a million foreign visitors a year. Completed in the late 1980s, the landfill area stood desolate for nearly a decade.

That changed when Fuji Television Network moved its headquarters from Shinjuku to Odaiba in 1997. To mark the move, the network produced a TV police show set in Odaiba, Odoru daisōsasen, known in English as Bayside Shakedown. The series became a huge hit and literally put the area on the map. Fuji began offering studio tours and opened a gift shop selling merchandise related to its programs. The observation deck 100 meters above the bay and the futuristic building itself also became attractions in their own right.

Served by the automated Yurikamome transit system, the Decks Tokyo Beach shopping mall and Aqua City Odaiba between Odaiba Kaihinkōen and Daiba stations opened at the same time. Those attractions appeal to young people and families, where they can shop for the latest fashions, see a film, spend time at an indoor leisure center, or visit a food theme park offering ramen, takoyaki octopus balls, and more.

The Fuji Television Network headquarters building. The sphere, 32 meters across, holds an observation deck. (© Somese Naoto)

One of Odaiba’s most appealing features is its beachside location. Expansive views of the cityscape across the water make it a must-visit spot for foreign visitors.

At Kaihinkōen (Odaiba Seaside Park), visitors love posing for photos in front of the one-seventh-size replica of the Statue of Liberty; with sparkling city lights in the background, it is easy to imagine being transported to Manhattan. Couples flock here to enjoy the romantic atmosphere, with the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower illuminated in the night sky.

Dusk at the observation deck. (© Somese Naoto)

The waters off Odaiba underwent a thorough cleanup to serve as the venue for the triathlon event at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021. Today, this is a popular area for marine sports. Water buses operate from Kaihinkōen, offering river cruises passing under the Rainbow Bridge and traveling up the Sumida River to Asakusa in Taitō.

Passengers on the river cruise can get a close-up view of the small fort islands built in the mid-nineteenth century. (© Somese Naoto)

Shinagawa Daiba (Battery) No. 3, at the foot of Rainbow Bridge, and neighboring Shinagawa Daiba No. 6 are small islands with a historic past. Daiba, fortified islands equipped with cannons, were erected along the shore throughout the country in the mid-nineteenth century to protect against American gunboat diplomacy. The daiba at Shinagawa, being close to the center of power at the time, were referred to with the honorific “o,” and the name odaiba stuck, giving the area its present-day name. It is ironic that these daiba, built to repel invasions by foreigners, are today filled with visitors from around the world.

Odaiba continues to evolve, with the opening of a multipurpose arena slated for 2025. The area’s continuous transformation offers new surprises with each visit.

Together with the Statue of Liberty, a life-size Gundam statue standing in front of DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is a famous Odaiba landmark. (© Somese Naoto)

(Originally published in Japanese. Reporting and text by Nippon.com.)