#29 Odaiba

This was one of my favourite places in Tokyo. And I had a lot of amazing places to choose from! Located across the bay (and the rainbow bridge) it consists mainly of a group of like 4 shopping centres. I didn't have much money to spend in Tokyo so I never bothered with shopping, but for some reason I really liked it here. It's really spacious in comparison to the rest of Tokyo, and coming from a pretty unpopulated country like Ireland it could be something I'd subconsciously missed. On a bright sunny day it is really pleasant to amble around and if you're not planning on shopping it can work out at a cheap day out. Although it's not one of the best known places in Tokyo, I would highly recommend a trip!

The main shopping centres are Palette Town, Diver City, Decks and Aqua City. Each features clothes shop and cafes and restaurants, pretty much the usual for Tokyo. There's also a maritime museum and a science museum, and Tokyo Big Sight convention centre isn't too far away. Of the shopping centres, Palette City was my favourite, it features a big Ferris wheel, views out into the sea, the Toyota showroom for those interested in cars, and a great Hello Kitty shop. But the highlight is inside the Venus Fort - what looks like a warehouse on the outside is the most fantastic shopping centre I have ever seen.

See? The inside has a fake sky ceiling, and is laid out to feel like you're in an old town in Venice or somewhere romantic. While the shops were pretty expensive, the décor is just so beautiful. At the end of the corridors (or streets?) is a big open area with a high ceiling and a large water fountain. Palette City really is one of Tokyo's hidden gems!

As well as the multiple shopping centres, Odaiba is home to the following:

The giant Gundam robot:

 Located outside the Divercity shopping centre, the giant robot is a great photo op! There's also a small shop and a cafe for those who are interested (I wasn't).


The Hello Kitty store:

"Hello Kitty's Kawaii Paradise" is the name of the Hello Kitty store located in Palette Town shopping centre. Kawaii means cute in Japanese, and the shop lives up to its name. On the day I went Hello Kitty herself made an appearance for the children. The shop is decorated like something out of Disneyland, it feels like you're in a cartoon world. There's also a Pancake cafe, but it was closed when I went.

 The Statue of Liberty. . . .Japanese style:

I don't know the origin of this mini Lady Liberty, but it makes a nice backdrop against the Rainbow bridge and the rest of Tokyo. From this vantage point you can also see Tokyo Tower.

The Fuji Television Building:

The ball at the top is actually an observation deck! It costs under 1000yen but I didn't bother because I wasn't sure if the views would've been particularly worth it. There's also a cafe and shop with products related to the TV station and some of the shows they air. But really it's only famous for its architecture.

To get to Odaiba it's probably easiest to get the Rinkai line to "Tokyo Teleport" and then all the centres are pretty obvious once you exit, with Palette city and the Ferris wheel right in front of the station. Or you could get the Yurikamome elevated train from Shinbashi, it's probably not as convenient and is a little more expensive, but it takes you over the Rainbow Bridge and offers good views of Tokyo you can't get from the ground, so it could be worth it!

#14 A Quick Update from a Tokyo Tourist

So I have visited Tokyo Dome, Akihabara, Tokyo Tower and Shibuya (in that order too). And I have noticed a pattern emerging - they're boring. Well not the attractions, just going by yourself. My plan is to go alone and check it out, and then to go back with a group. While at Tokyo Dome I didn't go on any of the attractions, I didn't go up Tokyo Tower and I didn't buy anything in Akihabara or Shibuya. This has kept costs down while allowing to wander freely around these places without having the annoyance of only doing what the group wants. It means you get more of what you want done, but it also means it can get boring. It's just not as exciting as if there was someone beside you you can share the moment with. Nonetheless, here are some quick updates of what I've been doing:

Tokyo Dome - suprisingly big (Credits: ME!)

I thought Tokyo Dome was just a big concert area, plus a ferris wheel and rollercoaster. When I got to the entrance it said 'Tokyo Dome City' - and by god is it a city! There's a big shopping area, arcade games, children's amusements, a haunted house, an aqua centre, restaurants. . .the place is big, and it is good. The nice part is you can walk around without spending a yen, but then again if you do decide to go on the amusements you could be forking out about 10,000yen per attraction.

Akihabara (aka Electric Town)

The only thing I bought in Akihabara was a little travel  iron for about 1000yen. And it doesn't really work. On another note, the lights at night are great and the people shouting at you to come in and buy something is fantastic. There is a wonderful selection of just about every electrical item ever invented from lighting to fans to cameras to rice cookers. From the cameras I looked at I could tell that most of the models weren't available in Ireland, and these were more advanced. I'm planning on going back so I'll research the prices then - but from what I'm told most items are only up to 10% cheaper than at home, which isn't the massive discounts some people think are available.

Tokyo Tower, like the Eiffel tower except with a temple

I've been to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. And Tokyo Tower is a carbon copy. Nonetheless, it is a fantastic structure and well worth a visit. It is situated in Shiba park, and right behind a massive temple, Zojo-ji. On the evening I went, there were film trucks and crew tidying up after filming there for some upcoming Japanese movie. So you can see it's a pretty cool place. Also around there is a Japanese graveyard (surrounded by cats, it was a little creepy) and, also creepy, were hundreds of statues covered decorated with wool hats and scarves. These Jizo dolls represent all miscarried, aborted and stillborn children in Japan.

At Tokyo Tower, just in case you  get bored of the amazing view or the fact you're at Tokyo Tower, is an aquarium, wax museum and amusements centre.

Shibuya shopping district

Shibuya is pretty expensive. While it does have massive shops like H&M, Forever 21 and Uni Qlo, you'll find these once again have similar stock and prices to at home. The Shibuya 109 centre is great for a look to see what's going on with Tokyo fashion - but that's all. The little boutiques in there aren't for those on a budget, to say the least. There are lots of little market type shops around the streets selling things such as shoes, but I still found they weren't cheap. If you're interested in fashion it is a great place to go, and if you're not it's still a good way to fill in a day, looking at all the shops and wandering through the winding streets. The famed Shibuya crossing - the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world apparently - isn't that exciting. After being in Tokyo for a few days you get used to the masses of people surrounding you everywhere. So when you're walking across a road with another 800 people it doesn't feel particularly special. However, if you were looking at it from a height it would probably look good. At the train station you can also see the statue of Hachiko, the dog who waited at the station for 9 years after his dead owner failed to return.

Note: I picked what places to go purely out of convenience of location as opposed to real desire - there is so much to see and do in Tokyo it is hard to make a list. I also want to save things that require an entry fee (such as Ueno Zoo and Skytree) for when I have friends with me. 

I happened to be on the train to work when I looked out the window and noticed the top of Tokyo Dome so the next day I decided to get off the train there, the same with Tokyo Tower. Akihabara is a popular place to transfer between train lines, so I was already in the area and decided to stay a while. I was meeting a friend at Shibuya so that's how I ended up there. Other locations such as Shinjuku and Harajuku have their own stations so they are convenient to find on the maps.