Odaiba
Cost
free
Attractions > Tokyo > Area > Shinagawa
About | Access | Hotels & Lodging | Hours & Fees
Odaiba Decks Shopping Mall
About
Odaiba is a popular shopping, entertainment and lodging area on a man made island in Tokyo Bay. It's not on the main Yamanote Line that loops Tokyo but can be reached from the Tokyo area in about 30 minutes. Large Shopping centers & malls, 5 star hotels, Amusement Zones, Convention Buildings, Museums and even the occasional street performer can be experienced on Odaiba. It is a very popular place for "Dating" as there are many restaurants and the view toward Tokyo with Rainbow Bridge in the evening is quite romantic. The area started to become popular in the late 1990s and it's popularity continues to this day with more and more attractions added to the district. Many people come here to shop (spend money) but you can also visit Odaiba and just enjoy the "free" attractions such as the "view" of Rainbow Bridge, the Gundum Robot statue, street performers, the Statue of Liberty replica, the building architecture of Fuji TV & Tokyo Big Site and walks along the "deck" areas of the malls.
Odaiba itself is actually the "joined" islands of smaller islands by huge amounts of landfill. The original islands (before Odaiba) were used as forts to protect Tokyo against attacks from the sea. The forts were created in 1853-1863 during the Edo Period in response to the American Commodore Perry and his "Black Ship" steamship gunboats. In 1979 the the current Odaiba landfill was finished and ready for development. After a little interest in developing the Odaiba in the "Boom Time" 80's Japan, the area became stagnant with many vacant lots in the early 90's. However, in the late 1990s the area perked up interest when a large new shopping mall and Fuji TV moved it's headquarters to the island. Since then the area has grown and grown into one of the most popular "day out" destinations in Tokyo.
Odaiba is the perfect place for a date. Whether your visiting Japan as a tourist or live in Japan, there is plenty to see and do, even without spending much money, in Odaiba. Plan your visit so that you can have dinner in Odaiba and then walk the boardwalk in the evening to get the perfect view of Rainbow Bridge. The Shopping Malls (3 of them) have all kinds of "Fashion" you can only find in Japan so if your looking for something interesting to wear back home, take a look and see what you can find.
Odaiba Area Map
see attractions below map
Fuji TV Area
Fuji TV
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Closed: Mondays (or Tuesday if Monday is a Japanese holiday).
Admission Cost: Free but the "Observation Deck" is 550 yen
This building is the headquarters of Fuji TV, one of Japan's national TV stations. The building is quite unique and futuristic looking with an observatory in the spherical part of the building (see image). Most foreign visitors have no idea about the TV shows or celebrities popular in Japan but if you have interest there are some exhibits and shops where you can take look at some of their shows. On some days you may see "groupies" hanging out in and around the station hoping to get a glimpse of some famous celebrity.
Decks Tokyo Beach
Hours: Shops - 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Restaurants - 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (some open till midnight), Attractions (Game Centers, Movies, etc.) various hours.
Closed: No closing days
Admission Cost: The shopping mall is free of course but "attractions" within the mall may have entrance fees.
Decks is the oldest mall on Odaiba and very popular with dating couples, shoppers and families. The main mall contains many various stores, restaurants and "attractions" such as indoor theme parks, games centers and interesting museums. Depending on the day, Decks Tokyo Beach may be having a "special event" from Beer Gardens to Live Performances out on the deck.
Aquacity Odaiba
Hours: Shops - 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 pm., Restaurants 11:00 a.m. to around 9:00 p.m. with some staying open till late in the night.
Closed: No closing days.
Admission Cost: The shopping mall is of course free.
Like Decks Tokyo Beach, Aquacity Odaiba is mainly a shopping mall but also has a large cinema complex, restaurants, cafes and a Ramen Theme Park where you can try different ramen styles from all over Japan. A stroll along the deck that runs in front of Aquacity Odaiba in the evening will give you a nice view of Rainbow Bridge.
DiverCity Tokyo Plaza
Hours: Shops - 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Restaurants - 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (some may close earlier)
Closed: No closing days.
Admission Cost: The shopping mall is of course free.
DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is the newest shopping mall in Odaiba (opened in 2012) and it's claim to fame is the big "Life Size" Gundam statue out in front of the mall. Like Decks Tokyo Beach and Aquacity Odaiba the mall is filled with shops, restaurants and cafes. There is also a "Gundam Base Tokyo" in the mall which is a shop dedicated to Gundum plastic models.
Rainbow Bridge
Rainbow bridge is one of the iconic symbols of Tokyo. Construction of the bridge started in 1987 and completed in 1993 and connects the city of Tokyo with Odaiba. There are 2 decks to the bridge, the upper deck being an expressway for cars (trucks, buses) and on the lower deck the Yurikamome transit system. There are also walkways on the lower deck on both sides. The bridge is quite beautiful during the evening and night hours when it lights up with a variety of different colored illumination.
Museum Area
Museum of Maritime Science
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.)
Closed: Mondays (or Tuesday if Monday is a Japanese holiday).
Admission Cost: Free
The Museum of Maritime Science "looks" like a ship but is really just a building. A main building houses exhibits on the technology and history of shipping but... the main part of the museum is closed indefinitely. They have set up a smaller version of the museum with parts of the main museum on display and it is free. There is also a real decommissioned "Ice Breaker" type ship you can walk around on outside.
National Museum of Emerging Science
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.)
Closed: Every Tuesday and Dec. 28 - Jan. 1
Admission Cost: 620 yen
Known as "Mirai Kan" in Japanese, the National Museum of Emerging Science is a cool place to visit. It is bi-lingual (Japanese and English) and has many exhibits about technology, biology, environmental issues and robots included a popular Japanese robot called "Asimo". Many of the exhibits are "interactive" which you can
Telecom Center
Hours: Weekdays - 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Weekends - 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Closed: Mondays (or Tuesday if Monday is a Japanese holiday).
Admission Cost: 500 yen
The "Cost" is for the "Observation Deck" at the top of the building. The building itself is a "Hub" on the Internet with large satellite antennas on the roof.
Oedo Onsen
Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (the next day, i.e. open 22 hours a day)
Closed: Once a month they close early at 11:00 for a major cleaning.
Admission Cost: General Admission - 2,480 yen or 1,980 yen after 6:00 p.m. +200 yen on weekends and holidays. After 2:00 a.m. there is an additional "over-night" fee of 2,000 yen.
The water used for this Hot Springs is REAL hot springs water pumped from 1,400 meters below. Oedo Onsen is a "Theme Park" type hot springs wich reproduces the atmosphere of the Edo Period. There are outdoor and indoor baths, restaurants, games, massages are offered and you can even stay overnight if you like.
Palette Town Area
Venus Fort
Hours: Shops - 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Restaurants - 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Closed: No closing days.
Admission Cost: The shopping mall is of course free.
Venus Fort is a themed shopping mall in the fashion of a European town (like the mall in Ceasars Palace Las Vegas). It is a large mall featuring hundreds of shops & outlet shops, restaurants and cafes.
Leisureland
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to midnight (some parts open 24 hours)
Closed: No closing days.
Admission Cost: Free to enter, each attraction/game has a charge associated with it.
Leisureland in Odaiba is a massive complex of entertainment attractions including a video game arcades, batting cages, bowling alleys, karaoke, darts, pool, ping pong and sports type games. There is also a large food court (with fast food type stuff), a haunted house and a "Ninja Illusion House".
Ferris Wheel
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on the weekdays, open till 11:00 p.m. on Fri. and Sat. nights.
Closed: No closing days.
Admission Cost: 920 yen per person or 3,080 yen if you want the entire cabin.
One of the worlds largest Ferris Wheels at 115 meters () high, the Odaiba Ferris Wheel gives you a nice view of the entire Odaiba area, Tokyo and beyond. Each cabin seats six people and the full ride (one time around) takes 15 min.
Toyota MegaWeb
Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Closed:
Admission Cost: Toyota MegaWeb is a huge Toyota Showroom that shows off all of Toyota's new cars, toys and technology. There is a museum displaying Toyota cars from years gone by and you can "Test Drive" various cars if you like but you must have a valid driving license for Japan.
Big Site
Big Site Convention Center
Hours:
Closed:
Admission Cost:
The "Big Site" or also known as the Tokyo International Exhibition Center is Japan's largest convention center. Internationally acclaimed events are held here such as the Tokyo Motor Show, the Comic Far and Anime Fair. If you happen to be in town when one of these events are taking place and the convention is open to the public you might want to consider entering and taking a look around. Note that some conventions or many days of conventions are only open to members of that particular industry.
Access
Closest Train Station: Daiba
Daiba, Tokyo Japan
The easiest way to get to the Odaiba area is to ride the Yurikamome (an automated elevated train) from Shimbashi station which is on the main Yamanote Line Loop around Tokyo. Yurikamome trains depart every few minutes, costs 320 yen and takes about 15 min. to get to Daiba Station from Shimbashi Station (Note that the JR Pass does NOT cover the Yurikamome line). The Yurikamome Line offers a 1 Day Pass for 820 yen. The ride from Shimbashi Station on the Yurikamome Line goes over the Rainbow Bridge Which offers great views of Tokyo and the waterfront areas. Sit in the very front of the train for the best views.
The Rinkai Line from Shinjuku Station or Osaki Station on the main JR Yamanote line loop is also a good way to get to the Odaiba area. It costs about 500 yen from Shinjuku to Teleport Station on Odaiba and takes about 25 min. The JR Pass does not cover the Rinkai Line between Osaki and Shin-Kiba. This train rides through a tunnel under the bay and you will not get the views you can from the Yurikamome Line.
Hotels & Lodging
Recommended
View a full list of Hotels and Lodging in or nearby Odaiba.
Hours & Fees
Hours: This is a Area, therefore each establishment has it's own hours but generally shops in Japan generally open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. while restaurants are generally open until 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m.
Cost: Each establishment's cost is different.
