Japan Travel: Odaiba
[:it]
photo credits: gotokyo.org
Odaiba, l’isola artificiale dello shopping e del divertimento
La prima volta che vidi Odaiba fu grazie alla serie animata di Natsuko Takahashi, “Tokyo Magnitude 8.0“ (東京マグニチュード). Nell’anime i protagonisti si recano ad una mostra di robot proprio sull’isola, splendidamente dettagliata nella sua riproduzione. In quel momento mi venne l’idea di inserire nella nostra programmazione un articolo riguardante questo luogo così tecnologico e colorato!
Odaiba (お台場) nacque sotto lo shogunato Tokugawa sul finire del periodo Edo sotto forma di 6 piccole isole fortificate artificiali. Lo scopo di queste isole era quello di proteggere e contrastare i possibili attacchi a Tokyo dalle navi della flotta del Commodore Perry.
Più di 100 anni dopo, nei primi anni ‘80 le piccole isole sono state unite attraverso un’opera di riempimento per sviluppare un enorme quartiere residenziale e finanziario.
Il progetto subì un forte rallentamento a causa dello scoppio della “bubble economy” nel 1991, abbandonando Odaiba quasi completamente.
Fu solo nella seconda metà degli anni ’90 che la grande isola artificiale unificata divenne una delle più famose attrazioni turistiche di Tokyo, popolandosi di hotel, centri commerciali, ristoranti, negozi e la linea ferroviaria rialzata Yurikamome.
photo credits: wikipedia.org
Due facce della stessa isola: Odaiba Ovest, Odaiba Est
Odaiba Ovest è la sede di grandi parchi e centri commerciali.
Tra i più scenografici troviamo l’Odaiba Seaside Park che si estende sulla costa nord e una replica della Statua della Libertà sorge proprio sulla sua spiaggia. Qui ha sede il primo dei più grandi centri commerciali dell’isola. Si tratta del Decks Tokyo Beach al cui interno è possibile visitare il museo delle cere di Madame Tussaud’s. Il secondo centro commerciale è Acqua City con i suoi due piani dedicati alla ristorazione, negozi vari, un cinema multisala, una cappella per matrimoni e il Sony Explora Science Technology Museum: un museo della scienza che esplora “luce”, “suono” ed “intrattenimento”.
(Per tutte le informazioni sul museo, potete visitare il sito ufficiale, in inglese: https://www.sonyexplorascience.jp/english/)
photo credits: anaintercontinental-tokyo.jp
Non molto lontano da Acqua City sorge il Fuji TV Building, uno degli edifici più bizzarri del Giappone. Dallo stile ultra-futuristico. Questa costruzione di 25 piani è stata progettata dall’architetto Kenzo Tange e completata nel 1997. Sede centrale della Fuji Television Network, a renderlo particolarmente attraente è la sfera d’argento in titanio che lo sovrasta. Trentadue metri di diametro, all’interno di questo elemento c’è una piattaforma di osservazione aperta al pubblico che offre una vista completa di Tokyo e del Monte Fuji.
photo credits: gaijinpot.com
Più a sud sorge il Diver City Tokyo Plaza, il terzo centro commerciale di Odaiba progettato per essere lo “spazio teatrale della città”. E’ una destinazione quasi obbligatoria per i visitatori stranieri di Tokyo perchè offre una vasta selezione di souvenir a tema giapponese in molti dei suoi negozi e altrettanti ristoranti giapponesi autentici.
Se pensate che i centri commerciali siano abbastanza, vi state sbagliando. E’ con Palette Town che Odaiba vince: molto più che una semplice aggregazione di negozi, è una vera e propria mini città. La sua torreggiante ruota panoramica, conosciuta come Daikanransha (大観覧車) può essere vista in tutta l’isola grazie ai suoi 115m di altezza come segno incontrastato di divertimento e allegria. Palette Town offre numerose attrazioni il cui fulcro è Venus Fort, il regno dello shopping. Venus Fort è stato aperto nel 1999 ed è stato progettato per assumere le fattezze dell’Europa del 17° secolo, completo di un cielo artificiale dipinto sul tetto che segue l’alternarsi del giorno e della notte come se ci si trovasse realmente all’aria aperta.
Appena sotto Venus Fort si trova il Sun Walk, che offre una collezione di negozi per gli amanti degli animali domestici. Qui non solo è possibile ristorarsi al Dog Cafe, ma persino noleggiare un cane per un’ora per portarlo a fare una passeggiata. Palette Town include anche la vetrina tecnologica di Toyota Mega Web, il divertente salotto per il tempo libero e uno dei più conosciuti luoghi di intrattenimento per eventi live: lo Zepp Tokyo (ゼップ東京).
photo credits: scottshaw.org, shutoko.jp
Odaiba Est è interamente dedicata alle mostre e allo sport.
Sicuramente di rilevante importanza è il Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center), una delle principali arene e centri congressi della nazione. E’ qui infatti dove saranno ospitati gli eventi di scherma, lotta e taekwondo durante Olimpiadi di Tokyo del 2020. Aperto nel 1996, il Tokyo International Exhibition Center si fa notare grazie alla sua iconica Conference Tower formata da quattro piramidi invertite. L’intero complesso Tokyo Big Sight possiede numerosi ristoranti, caffetterie, un negozio di generi alimentari e un angolo vendite dedicato ai goods di Big Sight.
photo credits: mystays.com
Accanto sorge il Panasonic Center, uno showroom per i nuovi prodotti e le nuove tecnologie Panasonic. Al primo piano si trova l’Atrium Exhibition dove avvengono le sponsorizzazioni di eventi in tutto il mondo e tutte le campagne pubblicitarie del colosso dell’elettronica. Sempre sullo stesso piano c’è il Wonder Life-Box dove sono presentate ai visitatori le nuove tecnologie del futuro e gli ultimi prodotti dell’azienda. Il secondo piano ospita RiSuPia, un museo interattivo incentrato sulla matematica nascosta nella natura e nella scienza. Estremamente amato è il Nintendo Game Front dove sono presenti tutti gli ultimi giochi di Nintendo con la possibilità di provarli! Qui si trova anche il Cafe E-Feel per una pausa golosa grazie alla sua vasta gamma di caffè, dolci e pasti leggeri.
photo credits: expology.com
In questa parte del quartiere è situato anche il Tennis–no–Mori Park, un enorme centro dedicato al gioco del tennis con 48 campi. Presente anche l’Ariake Coliseum stadium, un’arena sportiva al coperto nell’Ariake Tennis Forest Park che può contenere fino a 10.000 persone.
photo credits: tokyo20ty20ty.com
Raggiungere Odaiba
Raggiungere Odaiba da Tokyo è semplice! Si può optare per la barca grazie al Tokyo Water Bus o la Tokyo Cruise. In alternativa si può prendere un taxi oppure basta salire sul treno Yurikamome, la TWR Rinkai Line oppure le Japan Railways. Tuttavia, se amate camminare, allora non pensateci due volte: il Rainbow Bridge fa per voi! Un lungo ponte di 800 metri che però non è percorribile nelle ore notturne e in caso di maltempo o di eventi festivi.
photo credits: mywowo.net
Pensate che possa essere sufficiente per visitare Odaiba? Gli input sono davvero molti. Come tutto il Giappone, ogni angolo assume un fascino enorme che aumenta di volta in volta scoprendo i dettagli complessi che lo hanno realizzato.[:en]
photo credits: gotokyo.org
Odaiba, the artificial island of shopping and entertainment
The first time I saw Odaiba was thanks to the Natsuko Takahashi animated series, “Tokyo Magnitude 8.0” (東京マグニチード). In the anime, the protagonists go to a robot exhibition on the island, beautifully detailed in its reproduction. At that moment I had the idea to insert in our editorial calendar an article about this place so technological and colorful!
Odaiba (お台場) was born under the Tokugawa shogunate at the end of the Edo period in the form of 6 small artificial fortified islands. The purpose of these islands was to protect and contrast possible attacks against Tokyo by the ships of the Commodore Perry fleet.
More than 100 years later, in the early 1980s, the small islands were joined together to create a huge residential and financial district. The project suffered a major slowdown due to the outbreak of the “bubble economy” in 1991, leaving Odaiba almost completely abandoned. It wasn’t until the second half of the 1990s that the large unified artificial island became one of Tokyo’s most famous tourist attractions, with populated hotels, shopping malls, restaurants, shops, and the Yurikamome elevated railway line.
photo credits: wikipedia.org
Two sides of the same island: West Odaiba, East Odaiba
West Odaiba is home to large parks and shopping centers. Among the most scenic, we find the Odaiba Seaside Park which extends on the north coast and where a replica of the Statue of Liberty stands right on its beach. The first of the island’s largest shopping centers are located here. It’s the Decks Tokyo Beach in which you can visit Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. The second shopping center is Acqua City with its two floors dedicated to catering, various shops, a multiplex cinema, a wedding chapel and the Sony Explora Science Technology Museum: a science museum that explores “light”, “sound” and ” entertainment. ”
(For all information on the museum, you can visit the official website, in English: https://www.sonyexplorascience.jp/english/)
photo credits: anaintercontinental-tokyo.jp
Not far from Acqua City is the Fuji TV Building, one of the most bizarre buildings in Japan. From the ultra-futuristic style. This 25-story building was designed by the architect Kenzo Tange and completed in 1997. Headquarters of the Fuji Television Network, making it particularly attractive is the titanium silver sphere on top of it. Thirty-two meters in diameter, inside this element there is a viewing platform open to the public that offers a complete view of Tokyo and Mount Fuji.
photo credits: gaijinpot.com
Further south lies the Diver City Tokyo Plaza, Odaiba’s third-largest shopping mall designed to be the “theatrical space of the city”. It is an almost mandatory destination for foreign visitors in Tokyo because it offers a wide selection of Japanese themed souvenirs in many of its shops and as many authentic Japanese restaurants.
If you think shopping malls are enough, you’re wrong. And with Palette Town that Odaiba wins everything. Much more than a simple aggregation of shops, it is a real mini city. Its towering Ferris wheel, known as Daikanransha (大観覧車) can be seen all over the island thanks to its 115m of height as an undisputed sign of fun and joy. Palette Town offers numerous attractions whose focus is Venus Fort, the realm of shopping. Venus Fort was opened in 1999 and was designed to take on the features of 17th century Europe, complete with an artificial sky painted on the roof that follows the alternation of day and night as if you were really in the open air.
Just below Venus Fort is the Sun Walk, which offers a collection of shops for pet lovers. Here you can not only eat at the Dog Cafe but even rent a dog for an hour to take it for a walk. Palette Town also includes the technological showcase of Toyota Mega Web, the entertaining lounge for leisure time and one of the most popular entertainment venues for live events: the Zepp Tokyo (ゼップ東京).
photo credits: scottshaw.org, shutoko.jp
Odaiba Est is entirely dedicated to exhibitions and sports.
Of great importance is the Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center), one of the main arenas and convention centers of the nation. It is here where the fencing, wrestling and taekwondo events will be hosted during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Opened in 1996, the Tokyo International Exhibition Center stands out thanks to its iconic Conference Tower made up of four inverted pyramids. The entire Tokyo Big Sight complex has numerous restaurants, cafes, a grocery store and a sales corner dedicated to Big Sight goods.
photo credits: mystays.com
Next to it there’s the Panasonic Center, a showroom for new products and new Panasonic technologies. On the first floor is the Atrium Exhibition where sponsorships of events and all the advertising campaigns of the electronics giant take place all over the world. Also on the same level is the Wonder Life-Box where visitors are presented with the new technologies of the future and the company’s latest products. The second-floor houses RiSuPia, an interactive museum focused on hidden mathematics in nature and science. Extremely beloved is the Nintendo Game Front where all the latest Nintendo games are present with the chance to try them! Here is also the Cafe E-Feel for a gourmet break thanks to its wide range of coffees, desserts and light meals.
photo credits: expology.com
In this part of the neighborhood, there is also the Tennis – no – Mori Park, a huge center dedicated to the game of tennis with 48 courts. Also present was the Ariake Coliseum stadium, an indoor sports arena in the Ariake Tennis Forest Park which can hold up to 10,000 people.
photo credits: tokyo20ty20ty.com
Reaching Odaiba
Reaching Odaiba from Tokyo is easy! You can opt for the boat thanks to the Tokyo Water Bus or the Tokyo Cruise. Alternatively, you can take a taxi or just hop on the Yurikamome train, the TWR Rinkai Line or the Japan Railways. However, if you love walking, then don’t think twice: the Rainbow Bridge is for you! An 800-meter long bridge that is not opened at night and in case of bad weather or festive events.
photo credits: mywowo.net
Do you think this will be enough to visit Odaiba? There are really many inputs. Like all the rest of Japan, every corner takes on an enormous charm that increases from time to time discovering the complex details that have made it.[:ja]
photo credits: gotokyo.org
Odaiba, the artificial island of shopping and entertainment
The first time I saw Odaiba was thanks to the Natsuko Takahashi animated series, “Tokyo Magnitude 8.0” (東京マグニチード). In the anime, the protagonists go to a robot exhibition on the island, beautifully detailed in its reproduction. At that moment I had the idea to insert in our editorial calendar an article about this place so technological and colorful!
Odaiba (お台場) was born under the Tokugawa shogunate at the end of the Edo period in the form of 6 small artificial fortified islands. The purpose of these islands was to protect and contrast possible attacks against Tokyo by the ships of the Commodore Perry fleet.
More than 100 years later, in the early 1980s, the small islands were joined together to create a huge residential and financial district. The project suffered a major slowdown due to the outbreak of the “bubble economy” in 1991, leaving Odaiba almost completely abandoned. It wasn’t until the second half of the 1990s that the large unified artificial island became one of Tokyo’s most famous tourist attractions, with populated hotels, shopping malls, restaurants, shops, and the Yurikamome elevated railway line.
photo credits: wikipedia.org
Two sides of the same island: West Odaiba, East Odaiba
West Odaiba is home to large parks and shopping centers. Among the most scenic, we find the Odaiba Seaside Park which extends on the north coast and where a replica of the Statue of Liberty stands right on its beach. The first of the island’s largest shopping centers are located here. It’s the Decks Tokyo Beach in which you can visit Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. The second shopping center is Acqua City with its two floors dedicated to catering, various shops, a multiplex cinema, a wedding chapel and the Sony Explora Science Technology Museum: a science museum that explores “light”, “sound” and ” entertainment. ”
(For all information on the museum, you can visit the official website, in English: https://www.sonyexplorascience.jp/english/)
photo credits: anaintercontinental-tokyo.jp
Not far from Acqua City is the Fuji TV Building, one of the most bizarre buildings in Japan. From the ultra-futuristic style. This 25-story building was designed by the architect Kenzo Tange and completed in 1997. Headquarters of the Fuji Television Network, making it particularly attractive is the titanium silver sphere on top of it. Thirty-two meters in diameter, inside this element there is a viewing platform open to the public that offers a complete view of Tokyo and Mount Fuji.
photo credits: gaijinpot.com
Further south lies the Diver City Tokyo Plaza, Odaiba’s third-largest shopping mall designed to be the “theatrical space of the city”. It is an almost mandatory destination for foreign visitors in Tokyo because it offers a wide selection of Japanese themed souvenirs in many of its shops and as many authentic Japanese restaurants.
If you think shopping malls are enough, you’re wrong. And with Palette Town that Odaiba wins everything. Much more than a simple aggregation of shops, it is a real mini city. Its towering Ferris wheel, known as Daikanransha (大観覧車) can be seen all over the island thanks to its 115m of height as an undisputed sign of fun and joy. Palette Town offers numerous attractions whose focus is Venus Fort, the realm of shopping. Venus Fort was opened in 1999 and was designed to take on the features of 17th century Europe, complete with an artificial sky painted on the roof that follows the alternation of day and night as if you were really in the open air.
Just below Venus Fort is the Sun Walk, which offers a collection of shops for pet lovers. Here you can not only eat at the Dog Cafe but even rent a dog for an hour to take it for a walk. Palette Town also includes the technological showcase of Toyota Mega Web, the entertaining lounge for leisure time and one of the most popular entertainment venues for live events: the Zepp Tokyo (ゼップ東京).
photo credits: scottshaw.org, shutoko.jp
Odaiba Est is entirely dedicated to exhibitions and sports.
Of great importance is the Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center), one of the main arenas and convention centers of the nation. It is here where the fencing, wrestling and taekwondo events will be hosted during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Opened in 1996, the Tokyo International Exhibition Center stands out thanks to its iconic Conference Tower made up of four inverted pyramids. The entire Tokyo Big Sight complex has numerous restaurants, cafes, a grocery store and a sales corner dedicated to Big Sight goods.
photo credits: mystays.com
Next to it there’s the Panasonic Center, a showroom for new products and new Panasonic technologies. On the first floor is the Atrium Exhibition where sponsorships of events and all the advertising campaigns of the electronics giant take place all over the world. Also on the same level is the Wonder Life-Box where visitors are presented with the new technologies of the future and the company’s latest products. The second-floor houses RiSuPia, an interactive museum focused on hidden mathematics in nature and science. Extremely beloved is the Nintendo Game Front where all the latest Nintendo games are present with the chance to try them! Here is also the Cafe E-Feel for a gourmet break thanks to its wide range of coffees, desserts and light meals.
photo credits: expology.com
In this part of the neighborhood, there is also the Tennis – no – Mori Park, a huge center dedicated to the game of tennis with 48 courts. Also present was the Ariake Coliseum stadium, an indoor sports arena in the Ariake Tennis Forest Park which can hold up to 10,000 people.
photo credits: tokyo20ty20ty.com
Reaching Odaiba
Reaching Odaiba from Tokyo is easy! You can opt for the boat thanks to the Tokyo Water Bus or the Tokyo Cruise. Alternatively, you can take a taxi or just hop on the Yurikamome train, the TWR Rinkai Line or the Japan Railways. However, if you love walking, then don’t think twice: the Rainbow Bridge is for you! An 800-meter long bridge that is not opened at night and in case of bad weather or festive events.
photo credits: mywowo.net
Do you think this will be enough to visit Odaiba? There are really many inputs. Like all the rest of Japan, every corner takes on an enormous charm that increases from time to time discovering the complex details that have made it.[:]