A Journey To Visit Odaiba

I had never heard of the Yurikamome prior to my trip to Tokyo.  It is described as a cross between a train and a bus and is in operation on only one line of Tokyo’s massive transportation system.  It is a driverless train that runs on an elevated track across the Rainbow Bridge and its 270 degree loop, to Odaiba Island and is quite the attraction.  This was one of the neatest experiences for me, especially because I was fortunate enough to get a seat at the very front of the train for the great views.  We were fortunate enough to ride the train a few times, both during the day and at night for some different views. 

The train passes the iconic Fuji TV Station building before arriving at one of the stations on Odaiba Island. 

Odaiba was attractive to us because we had read about a mall on the island called Decks, that had a section that acted like a “Little Hong Kong”.  Upon arrival on the island, and before finding the mall, we were met with a Statue of Liberty.

I wasn’t sure what we were expecting to find in Little Hong Kong, but when we finally found it, it turned out to be a section decorated with street signs that were similar to that of Hong Kong streets, and all of the shops in the area had red lanterns hanging at the entrances.  There were also some restaurants that sold Hong Kong style noodles, but aside from that, you would never know that this was a Hong Kong themed area of the mall.  The shops weren’t selling Hong Kong products and aside from the décor, nothing else was particularly Hong Kong about it.

On my second trip to Odaiba in 2012, I discovered that Little Hong Kong had actually been removed and I actually enjoyed walking around Decks and seeing the different shops and food vendors that were now in place of Little Hong Kong.  I don’t know if the Takoyaki Museum was new or not, but I’ve come to realize that whenever the Japanese build any sort of food museum, it basically just means that it’s going to be a place selling that type of food as well as a place to sell plush toys of that food item.

The sun was about to set as we got ready to leave Odaiba.  We were able to enjoy some fantastic views of the water right before we departed.

 

Odaiba is a fantastic getaway from hectic Tokyo.  There is so much to see and do on the island that you should be able to find a great deal of things to enjoy on a full day trip.

For more photos of Odaiba, please visit my Photo Gallery of Odaiba.