You might’ve heard of Odaiba as the one-time location of the hugely popular teamLab Planets Tokyo, known for its immersive digital art projections. While the gallery has since moved to Central Tokyo, there’s still plenty else to do in Odaiba. It’s been called “Tokyo’s entertainment island” because of all that it offers.
The artificial island is in Tokyo Bay, looking back at the city’s skyline and Rainbow Bridge. It was once a series of small, man-made fort islands, hence the name ‘daiba’, which means ‘fort’ in Japanese. The islands were built back in the Edo period to protect Tokyo from possible attacks.
Then, in the 1980s, they were joined together by landfill and developed into a futuristic cityscape. In the late 1990s, a monorail link, along with newly built hotels and attractions turned the district into a tourist destination, as well as being popular for locals to visit on the weekend.
Today, Odaiba is easily accessible from central Tokyo by train on the Yurikamome Line and Rinkai Line, getting off at Dabia Station. You’ll find on the island shopping centres, entertainment attractions and as of this March 2024, Japan’s first immersive theme park, ‘Immersive Fort Tokyo’, opening on the site of the former ‘Venus Fort’ shopping complex and said to be the first immersive theme park in the world.
Ahead, we share more details on the immersive theme park, as well as other things you can do in Odaiba.
Immersive Fort Tokyo
Opening March 1, 2024, Immersive Fort Tokyo will feature 12 attractions, including a large-scale theatre experience lasting for over an hour, a full-scale horror show and a performance that’ll see suddenly placed in a restaurant. Have lunch or grab a snack at one of four food and drink outlets, or, when you need a break from attractions, pop into the park’s two retail outlets.
National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Miraikan
Science lovers, this museum is for you. Since its opening in 2001, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Miraikan has been a place to learn about humanity’s relationship to the universe, with the help of cutting-edge technology. Geo-Cosmos is one of the museum’s best-known exhibits, featuring a three-dimensional rendition of the Earth as it shines in outer space. The museum is also home to a Dome Theatre and Planetarium, where visitors can be educated and entranced. New exhibitions highlight robots and the Earth’s environment.
DECKS, DiverCity and Aqua City Odaiba
Another drawcard to the area is the shopping. You’ll find mega-outlets DECKS and DiverCity located within walking distance from one another, though Aqua City Odabia is also considered a shopping highlight. Its multi-purpose complex is filled with entertainment, retail stores and restaurants. One of its attractions is a female, multi-lingual robot known as Chihira Junco, created by electronics company Toshiba. The robot will give you information on the centre, answering any questions you have in Japanese, Chinese, or English.
Odaiba Marine Park
See Tokyo’s many sites from the water, barding a glass-paned water bus from beachfront Odaiba Marine Park. You’ll also be treated to Odaiba’s design-forward buildings, including the Fuji TV Building. At Odaiba Marine Park, which stretches for roughly 800m, you can also sign up for windsurfing, fishing, or simply sit by the water, enjoying the views.
Odaiba Statue of Liberty
Odaiba is home to a replica of New York’s famous Statue of Liberty. Though its positioning in front of nearby Rainbow Bridge gives the impression the recreation is to scale, it’s about 1/7th of the size of the New York original. It was erected in 1998 as a temporary tribute to Japan’s relationship with France, but the statue was so popular, it was decided it would become a permanent fixture in 2000. You’ll also find Statue of Liberty replicas in Japan’s Shimoda and Osaka.
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