When in Tokyo, would you like to take a break from the palaces, gardens, and temples? Or perhaps the kids want to go to a fun place?
Odaiba is the place to go!
Odaiba is a spacious man-made island built on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. It offers a fresh look from the other side of the bay and is a must-see. It has a beach, grassy areas, lots of space, several attractions, family-friendly restaurants and shops.
You could also check out its Statue of Liberty! Yes, there is a Statue of Liberty, a nine-ton replica that is 11 meters tall.
Getting to Odaiba is fun! Take the Yurikamome line to Shimbashi station in Central Tokyo and then ride the driverless monorail to Odaiba. The monorail rides on the Rainbow bridge and offers superb views and photo opportunities of the area from the very front seats.
Odaiba can also be accessed by water buses.
What can you do in Odaiba? Here are some of the top family friendly attractions.
Aqua City, Decks and Seaside Park
The Odaiba Seaside Park hosts the only beach you will find in Tokyo – ideal for the kids to build castles or play around. You can go for a stroll along the seaside walkways and the observation deck soaking in views of Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower. The park is a popular attraction with opportunities for windsurfing and paddle boarding.
Aqua City houses a huge seaside food court where you can take your pick from Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Western and other cuisines.
National museum of emerging science and innovation – Miraikan
An excellent science museum with interactive and bilingual exhibits with displays of innovative technology across a wide variety of disciplines – Space, Universe and solar system, robots and future. It is a great place for teens and little ones too. There are lots of hands on activities and science workshops.
Museum of Maritime Science
A boat shaped Museum for marine enthusiasts displaying boats of all kinds with indoor and outdoor exhibits. This museum spans six floors and showcases the comprehensive history of ships including Japanese boat exhibits. You can find out how boats and ships are designed, and there is information about the shipping and fishing industries. There is a lighthouse and a submarine. There are films on oceans and ships. You can even try steering a ship on a simulator.
School groups visit this place regularly for hands on learning on rubber boats and canoes.
Ferris Wheel -Daikanransha
How about a ride on a Ferris Wheel? The Daikanransha Wheel is 155 m tall, one of the world’s largest, with an amazing view of Tokyo from up top.
Your kids will also enjoy the indoor amusement parks and large entertainment and sports facilities.
There is the Legoland Discovery Center for young kids with a miniature model of the Tokyo’s cityscape made from nearly 1.5 million bricks, a Lego-themed laser shooting ride, Fire Academy & Construction Site with crawl spaces, 4D cinema, and much more.
Oedo Onsen Monogatari
When you are pleasantly tired from lots of fun and food, dip into the hot springs at Oedo Onsen to soak away your cares!
It’s a hot spring theme park dedicated to relaxation and food. A number of hot springs offer different types of baths, sauna, spa treatments, massage and fish therapy!
Evenings are spectacular at Odaiba as lights come on everywhere. A particularly attractive sight is the Rainbow Bridge that crosses over Tokyo Bay between Shibaura Pier and Odaiba, illuminated by solar power. The bridge has a walkway which you can use at certain times during the day.
For a grand ending to a lovely day out, take the Hamarikyu Garden Water Bus back to Tokyo. You will ride in Himiko, the spaceship shaped Japanese River Bus designed like a futuristic looking spacecraft. It is a wide, low, glass enclosed boat that meanders around giving you lovely views of Tokyo from the ground level.
A lovely day of fun, food and relaxation which starts and ends with unusual transport – that’s Odaiba!
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Odaiba looks amazing! I will have to visit when I go to Tokyo, and will try the sushi!
Reading your post brought back many happy memories of my time in Tokyo especially the Rainbow Bridge. I caught the sunset across Tokyo Bay and it was beautiful. I did not visit the National Museum of Emerging Science or the Maritime Museum but definitely on my list for the next time.
I had never heard of this place but it reminds me of Sentosa Island in Singapore. It seems the Statue of Liberty gets everywhere!
The Himiko looks like a fun way to travel to this island. It’s a little odd that there’s a statue of liberty replica there. I wonder what the significance of it is? Thanks for shining a light on this destination I’d never heard of before.
Anywhere that has sushi that looks that good gets my vote! What a great getaway from Tokyo, and I have to admit I’d never heard of it until I read this. It reminds me a little of Sentosa Island off Singapore. Definitely somewhere I’ll be looking at as I’m planning a trip to Japan later this year.
Reading this makes me miss odaiba. It is one of my favorite place in Tokyo. I love the statue of liberty replica and diver city where you can take photos with the giant gundam statues
This sounds like such a great experience to get away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. I love that they also have hot springs, I have heard so much of the Japanese Onsen and looking forward to visiting one soon.
I never knew about Odaiba near Tokyo to go for relaxed weekend out. Good to know that Odaiba is a spacious man-made island at Tokyo Bay and has a beach, grassy areas, lots of space, several attractions, family-friendly restaurants and shops. It would be fun to see tiny replica of Statue of Liberty.
What a cool place to visit, it kind of seems like a mixture of several other places. I could definatly go for that, especially if it includes sushi on the beach!
Odaiba seems like a great place to getaway from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. Interesting to know that the only beach in Tokyo is on the island even though the city sits right on the water. Not your usual seaside city like in the states!
I love how Odaiba is a nice blend of modern technology and design with nature. Fantastic place. Would love to visit if I’m ever in Tokyo.
This post brought back good memories of Tokyo. We went over to Odaiba but just walked around for a few hours. I never knew there was a hots springs theme park. That is definitely something to do on a return trip. We saw all the night colours from our hotel room with that view. But it would be cool to see them up close.
Odaiba looks like a great place to get away from the busyness of Tokyo! I still have not been to Japan, but I will definitely put this on my list whenever I am able to visit. Hoping for 2021 or 2022 as I really want to explore Japan and all of the beautiful spots 🙂
I didn’t know about this man-made island in Tokyo! It’s a great idea to visit there if you want to get away from the busy parts of the city for a while!
I loved Odaiba! I just went there once for sunset & evening and had such a great time with my friends! It’s a lovely place and there’s definitely much more to do than what I just did ^^ Thank you for sharing!
Always on the hunt for fun places to visit. Never heard of Odaiba before, but it looks like a great place to visit so I’m putting it onto my wish list.
I’ve honestly never heard of this place before, but it looks pretty interesting. It looks really futuristic in some aspects, and old school in others. Good tips!
Seaside food court–I’m in! Saving for when I visit Tokyo!
Odiaba sounds like indeed a fun outing from Tokyo. The Maritime museum and onsen site sound great. The sushi looks delicious!