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Tokyo’s City on the Water: Odaiba
Not known for wasting space, or even having any room to spare for that matter, the city of Tokyo in the ‘90s, looking for more room to grow, expanded into Tokyo Bay. But creating artificial land on the water wasn’t anything new to the city. In 1853, towards the end of the Edo period, the shogunate built six islands in the bay to act as a defense, armed with cannon batteries (battery or fort is “daiba” in Japanese), against the new threat to the country in the form of the Black Ships of Commodore PERRY of the American Navy.
These days, Battery No. 3 island (by Rainbow Bridge) can be reached by a land bridge and enjoyed not only as a place of historical interest, but as one of the few places one can relax in nature and still be downtown. Not many people actually bother to go there, making it ideal for escaping the crowds of the city. The island is covered in grass with beautiful tree groves along the edges.
But the main attraction is the Tokyo Waterfront City, more commonly referred to simply as “Odaiba,” just behind the old battery islands. Consisting of four main areas: Daiba, Aomi, Ariake-Kita, and Ariake-Minami, this massive urban project of new artifical land was begun in the early ‘90s by then governor SUZUKI Shunichi. By the mid-‘90s, however, the astronomical budget, along with the moribund economy had greatly hindered the development of the area. Eventually though, business and entertainment started moving in and the reputation and visitor-count began to grow.
The arrival of the new Fuji Television headquarters in 1997 was a huge score for Odaiba. The exotic building, designed by TANGE Kenzo (also responsible for the famous Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building) has become an iconic image of the Tokyo skyline. The bold architecture and tours of the TV studio are big draws.
Near the building is a white sand beach, a boardwalk, and several shopping centers, including Decks Tokyo Beach and Aqua City Odaiba. A replica of The Statue of Liberty, in front of Aqua City, originally meant to be temporary, has become a permanent and popular fixture. Behind this area is more shopping and entertainment, including: Palette Town Ferris Wheel, Venus Fort shopping mall with its Venice-inspired interior design and artificial sky, Zepp Tokyo music hall, and Toyota’s Megaweb car exhibition center.
Further back, in the Aomi area, are several office buildings, condominiums, and museums. The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, with its futuristic architecture and elaborate environmental and high-tech exhibits, is there. Telecom Center, also boldly designed, hides a wonderful garden behind it, the serenity of which is only interrupted by the occasional low flying jet coming in for a landing at the nearby Haneda Airport. A different type of relaxation can be had at the popular Oedo-Onsen-Monogatari hot spring, only a few minutes walk away.
Another big attraction in Odaiba’s Ariake-Minami area is the Tokyo Big Site International Exhibition Center, where all sorts of conventions and conferences held in its enormous halls draw visitors from all over the world, as well as Japan. But events are held elsewhere on the island too. Fuji TV usually has an annual summer festival to showcase their programs, and always brings big crowds.
The future of Odaiba looks to be pretty busy, and its staged development continues with many new buildings in the works. The Palette Town/Venus Fort area will see the land lease pass from its trading company holder to Mori Building and Toyota, which will construct new business, shopping, and entertainment venues, including a replacement of the current Ferris wheel. All are expected to be finished between 2012 and 2013.
Once you get to Odaiba, there’s a lot to explore. As you can see, this futuristic city on the water offers a lot to visitors – a little history and a lot of modernity.
(From August Issue 2009)
