If you have a full sunny day in Tokyo and no plan — go to Odaiba. That is our advice and we stand by it completely.

Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, just across the iconic Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Originally built for defensive purposes in the 1850s, it has since transformed into one of Tokyo’s most unique and entertaining neighborhoods — part shopping district, part science museum, part waterfront escape and part car showroom. Yes, really.

We took the subway to Shibaura-futō Station and walked across the Rainbow Bridge — about 30 minutes of walking, adding extra time for Adam and his camera. Take the North walkway. The views of Tokyo Tower and the city skyline are absolutely worth it.

Here’s everything you need to know before you go.

We few weeks ago we took the subway train to  Shibaura-futō Station and walked across the rainbow bridge. It was a nice 30 minute walk or so, adding time of course for Adam to take pictures. (Take the North walkway, it had a really nice view of Tokyo Tower and the city.


we walked around Odaiba, and saw the seashore which was really nice. There was a ton of shopping and restaurants. Toyota has an open showroom where you can see a lot of the latest models of cars. 

📋 Quick Guide — What to See in Odaiba:

Fuji TV Building — Free entry, 500 yen for the observation deck. The futuristic sphere shaped building is iconic and worth seeing up close.

Decks Tokyo Beach — Free entry shopping mall with restaurants, an arcade and a trick art museum (900 yen). Great for an afternoon browse.

AquaCity Odaiba — Free entry mall with a 13 screen cinema and an entire floor dedicated to ramen from all over Japan. The Rainbow Bridge views from the wooden deck out front are stunning.

Toyota Mega Web — Free entry. Adam’s personal highlight. Every latest Toyota model on display and test drives available if you have a Japanese driving license.

Oedo Onsen Monogatari — A hot spring theme park recreating the atmosphere of the Edo Period. 2,900 yen entry. If you want a uniquely Japanese experience this is it.

The Ferris Wheel — 115 meters tall, 900 yen and one of the world’s largest. The views of Tokyo Bay are incredible especially at night.

National Museum of Emerging Science (Miraikan) — 600 yen entry. Bilingual, interactive and genuinely fascinating. ASIMO the robot makes an appearance.

Rainbow Bridge — Walk it for free. Take the North walkway for the best city views.

💡 Our Top Tips:

• Pick up the Yurikamome day pass at any JR stop — the monorail runs all through Odaiba and makes getting between attractions easy
• Go on a sunny day — the waterfront and bay views are what make Odaiba special
• Give yourself a full day — we barely scratched the surface

Fuji TV Building Hours: 10:00 to 18:00 (some restaurants until 19:00) Closed: Mondays (or Tuesday if Monday is a national holiday). Admission: Free (observation deck: 500 yen) The headquarters of Fuji Television, one of Japan’s private, nationwide TV stations. You can see some exhibits on popular programs, buy Fuji TV goods at a shop and access the futuristic looking building’s observatory deck housed in the sphere shaped part of the building.

Decks Tokyo Beach Hours: 11:00 to 21:00 Restaurants: 11:00 to 20:00 (some restaurants until 24:00) Closed: No closing days Admission: Free (trick art museum: 900 yen) Decks is a shopping mall featuring various stores, boutiques, cafes and restaurants. The mall also houses the three story “Tokyo Joypolis” arcade (closed for renovation until mid July 2012) and a trick art museum. A Hong Kong themed food theme park and the Muscle Park were closed in 2010.

Aquacity Odaiba Hours: 11:00 to 21:00 Restaurants: 11:00 to 23:00 (some restaurants until 5:30) Closed: No closing days Aquacity is a shopping mall featuring various stores, boutiques, restaurants, cafes and a 13 screen cinema complex. The fifth floor houses a ramen food theme parkwhere you can try different ramen from all over Japan. There are nice views of the Rainbow Bridge from the wooden deck in front of Aquacity and neighboring Decks.

Rainbow Bridge The Rainbow Bridge connects Odaiba to the rest of Tokyo. The two story bridge is an iconic symbol of the bay and is especially beautiful during its nightly illumination. The bridge supports an expressway, a regular road, the Yurikamome train line and pedestrian walkways along both sides.

Telecom Center Area

Telecom Center Observation Deck: 15:00 to 21:00 (weekdays) 11:00 to 21:00 (weekends and national holidays) Closed: Mondays (Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) Admission: 500 yen (400 yen in combination with a Yurikamome day pass) The Telecom Center is a major hub on the information highway with several large satellite antennas on its observation deck. The observation deck also offers nice view of the bay area and as far as Mount Fuji on clear days.

Museum of Maritime Science Main building closed indefinitely for renewal, ships remain open Hours: 10:00 to 17:00 (weekends and holidays until 18:00) Closed: Mondays (or following Tuesday if Monday is a national holiday) December 28 to January 1 Admission: Free entry to ships during renovation This museum looks like a large cruise ship docked along the Odaiba waterfront. The main building with exhibits on the history and technology of ships and shipping is currently closed for renovation. Outside you can board two real ships that are on permanent display.

National Museum of Emerging Science Hours: 10:00 to 17:00 Closed: Tuesdays and December 28 to January 1 Admission: 600 yen Also known as the Miraikan, this well done, highly interactive and bilingual science museum includes exhibits about environmental issues, robots (starring Asimo among others), information technology, biology and space exploration.

Oedo Onsen Monogatari Open: 11:00am to 9:00am (last entry 7:00am) Closed: One evening per month for cleaning Admission: 2900 yen (2000 yen from 18:00 to 2:00, 1900 yen from 5:00). An additional 1700 yen overnight fee applies from 2:00 to 5:00. Opened in 2003, Oedo Onsen is a hot spring theme park which reproduces the atmosphere of the Edo Period. Here you can enjoy various types of indoor and outdoor baths which are fed by hot spring water pumped from a depth of 1400 meters. Restaurants, massage, games and other entertainment, as well as overnight stays are available.

Palette Town
Palette Town is a large shopping and entertainment complex consisting of the Venus Fort shopping mall, Toyota Mega Web, a Ferris Wheel, the Zepp Tokyo music venue and Tokyo Leisureland.

Venus Fort Hours: 11:00 to 21:00 Restaurants: 11:00 to 23:00 Closed: No closing days Admission: Free Venus Fort is a shopping mall in the style of a 18th century South European town. The mall features over a hundred shops, fashion boutiques, cafes and restaurants on three floors including a few outlets shops on the upper floor.

Toyota Mega Web Hours: 11:00 to 21:00 (some attractions end 1-3 hours earlier) Closed: Small number of irregular closing days Admission: Free (test rides: 300 yen) Mega Web is a giant Toyota showroom that shows off all of Toyota’s latest models, car accessories and technologies. Attractions include test driving of cars (requires driving license valid for Japan) and a museum exhibiting cars from past decades.

Ferris Wheel Hours: 10:00 to 22:00 (until 23:00 on most Fridays, Saturdays) Closed: No closing days Admission: 900 yen (entire cabin: 3000 yen) This 115 meter tall ferris wheel is one of the world’s largest and offers nice views of Tokyo Bay and Odaiba below. Each cabin seats six (or four in the all-glass cabins), and the complete revolution takes about 15 minutes.

Leisureland Hours: 10:00 to 23:50 (some parts open 24 hours) Closed: No closing days Admission: Free (attractions are paid) This huge entertainment complex features a large game arcade, bowling alleys, slots, batting cages, karaoke, darts, table tennis and sports games. There is also a ninja illusion house, a haunted house and food court.

Big Sight Area

Tokyo Big Sight Hours and admission fees depend on the specific events. Also known as Tokyo International Exhibition Center, Tokyo Big Sight is Japan’s largest exhibition and convention center and one of the bay islands’ boldest architectural creations. A wide array of events are held at the Big Sight throughout the year including the Tokyo International Anime Fair, the Comiket comic fair and the Tokyo Motor Show.

Panasonic Center Hours: 10:00 to 18:00 (entry to Risupia until 17:00) Closed: Mondays (or Tuesday if Monday is a national holiday) Admission: Free (Risupia: 500 yen) The Panasonic Center is a showroom for the latest products and technologies by the Panasonic Corporation. On display are the newest cameras, TVs, computers, Nintendo games, home appliances and more. The third floor is Risupia, a hands-on math and science museum.

Q: How do you get to Odaiba from central Tokyo? A: Take the subway to Shibaura-futō Station and walk across the Rainbow Bridge — about 30 minutes. Or take the Yurikamome monorail line directly into Odaiba. Both are easy and affordable.

Q: Is Odaiba worth visiting in Tokyo? A: Absolutely — especially if you want something different from temples and city streets. The waterfront, shopping, museums and unique attractions make it a full day destination.

Q: Is Odaiba free to visit? A: Most of the main attractions like the Toyota showroom, shopping malls and Rainbow Bridge walk are free. Individual attractions like the Ferris Wheel, observation decks and Oedo Onsen have separate entry fees ranging from 500 to 2,900 yen.

Q: How long do you need in Odaiba? A: A full day is ideal. We could easily have spent two days exploring everything properly.

Q: Is Odaiba good to visit with kids? A: Yes! The Ferris Wheel, arcade at Leisureland, science museum, trick art museum and Toyota showroom are all hugely entertaining for kids of all ages.