Odaiba is a large artificial island located in the Tokyo Bay. It is a part of special districts of the city, Minato, Kōtō i Shinagawa. Odaiba originaly consisted of six fortrests, which were built in 1953 by Tokugawa shogunate with the goal of protecting the city of Tokyo from a possible attack from Daiba See, which means „battery“ in Japanese, and this refers to the cannons placed on the island. In 1928, Dai-san Daiba or "Battery No. 3" was restored and opened to the public as the Metropolitan Daiba Park, which can still be visited today.
The modern reconstruction of Odaiba Island began after the success of Expo in Tsukuba in 1985. The Japanese economy was going through a golden age, and Odaiba was becoming a model of futuristic life, and a budget of over 10 billion dollars was set aside for its reconstruction even then. However, the period between 1991 and 1995 followed, when the balloon almost exploded and the whole area was abandoned. A new renovation was started in 1996, when the opening of commercial premises and representative offices of companies was allowed, and the whole area began to revive. Tokyo found a beach here that it never had. As new hotels and malls opened, many large companies moved their headquarters to the island. Today, Odaiba is a popular tourist destination for both locals and tourists.
Here you will find various shopping malls, restaurants and terraces today with beautiful views of Tokyo Bay. There is a copy of the Statue of Liberty here, as well as the beach, a favorite for those who want to enjoy the sunset. If you are a fan of museums, here is the National Museum of Science and Innovation as well as Toyota's car show.
Visitors will surely like the 115-meter-high Ferris Wheel and the Fuji building, which has a spectacular view of the city. You can also visit the Oedo-Onsen-Monogatari thermal baths, where visitors bathe in the water that comes from a depth of 1500 meters.
Photo by Jean Vella on Unsplash
