
Everyone goes to Japan primarily for its culture. Even the city center, Tokyo is beaming with well-preserved traditions and crafts of the ancient Japan.
However, Japan is a perfect example of a combination of traditional and innovation, and most of the time it’s the best of those two worlds.
You can enjoy looking into the past of Japan with admiration and at the same time get excited at the future this country is designing for the locals and for the world.
Recently, travelers are flocking to an artificial island in Tokyo which is known as Odaiba or Daiba. Originally intended to be Tokyo’s modern and future city, Odaiba houses many tourist attractions that give you a glimpse of their glorious past and of the electrifying future.
Below are the things you can do during your day tour in Tokyo’s Odaiba:
1. Visit the iconic landmarks

Unicorn Gundam at Diver City mall
The real star of Odaiba is a popular culture icon that has gained popularity worldwide due to its being first-of-a-kind TV show, toy and life-sized statue --- Gundam. This anime by Bandai Namco took the Japanese fans by wave when it was first released in the 1970s. Since then the charm of mecha or robot anime genre never left the hearts of the local and international fans. Even today, Gundam continues to rake in billions of money for its creator, to serve as inspiration for Japan government in pursuing their research & development on an actual life-size robot and to attract tourists in visiting Japan.
Unicorn Gundam in the Destroy Mode was just installed last September 2017 as a replacement of the RX-78-2. The statue lights up at night which will make everyone especially its fans ecstatic.

Statue of Liberty & Rainbow Bridge
Nearest station for these attractions: Daiba station
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There are two original Statue of Liberty which are stationed in the US and France. The France version visited Japan in the 90s in the same place where this replica stands. Make sure to capture this lady with the rainbow bridge as a background when taking your photo. The white bridge only turns into rainbow colors at night during December and spring. You can actually walk, bike and run under this bridge until 8:00pm. The view at night is stunning as you can see Odaiba’s lighted skyline at one side and central Tokyo where Tokyo Tower stands at the other side.
2. Experience indoor attractions
Bad or good weather would not affect your day tour in Odaiba. There are indoor attractions you can enjoy --- museums, hotspring facility and theme parks.

Mirakain Museum (The National Musuem of Emerging Science and Innovation)
Nearest station: Fune-no-kagakukan station. Just behind Tokyo International Exchange Building. Less than 10-minute walk from Gundam.
If you want to see the latest and most advanced technology that Japan is currently have and developing, you should definitely go to this museum. It is recommended for family with kids and curious travelers. You would spend at least an hour exploring the general areas and another 30 minutes if you plan to go for special exhibit. The latter usually changes after 2-3 months and is pretty interesting – Walt Disney’s creativity and Detective Conan’s story. Be sure to check their website to see the current special exhibit!

Toyota Megaweb Museum
Nearest station: Aomi station
Toyota lets you experience their latest technology for automotive and the future cars. You can also have a test drive of Toyota cars on the road if you have an international license. And for your kids, they can experience driving in an indoor road and learn how to follow traffic rules. Do you know that Japanese are maybe, the most obedient and law-abiding citizens in the world? And seeing this kind of indoor activity where kids are being trained as early as now explains this trait.
Warning: There are two Toyota museums – the one near Venus Fort is where you can see the vintage cars of Toyota. The real action happens at the back of Venus Fort.

MORI Building Digital Art Museum: teamLAB Borderless
Nearest station: Aomi station
A recent permanent exhibition at Palette Town which draws many visitors since its opening last June 2018. Make sure you book your ticket online a month or two because it runs out fast! This attraction takes you to an entirely different world. Enjoy a colorful and enchanting experience at this museum!

Oedo-Onsen Monogatari
Nearest station: Telecom Center Station
Everything that you need to experience Japanese culture during Edo period are in this facility – hotspring facility, Japanese garden, foot bath and yukata both for men and women! The best way to end your day trip in Odaiba is through relaxing in this onsen within the area.

Joypolis Indoor Amusement Park
Nearest station: Odaiba-kaihinkouen
You can experience rides and virtual reality attractions in this indoor amusement park at Decks Beach. Joypolis has 3 floors full of thrilling rides and arcade games that you can enjoy all day long. There is height restriction for some rides so better check your kid’s height before buying their ticket. There are all-day pass (unlimited rides) ticket and attraction-based ticket. The price of the former depends on the time you want to enter. The later you enter, the cheaper it gets. Try to avoid going on weekend because Japanese teenagers tend to crowd this attraction and Odaiba area in general.
If you have some spare time, you can also visit internationally known attractions like Legoland City and Madame Tussauds at Decks Beach.

3. Shop at outlet stores in Venus Fort and tax-free shops in Odaiba malls
Almost all the shops in Odaiba offer tax-free incentives to tourists if you spent 5,000 yen and above. Famous brands are available in the four malls – Diver City mall, Aqua City, Decks Beach and Venus Fort. If you want to save more bucks, visit Venus Fort to find some of brands outlets – Nike, Levi’s, Tumi, Fila, Samsonite and Japanese brands.
You can also end the day by watching the sunset at the Odaiba Marine Park. The sky color is usually beautiful at this area. There is a boat ride you can try if you want to cruise around the port and feel the breeze of the ocean. Indeed, there are many things you can do in Odaiba.
When you see both the past, present and future of a city or a country, you get to know more about their culture. Odaiba is one of the areas in Tokyo that represents Japan’s present and future. To understand this, you have to step back and understand an important part of Japan’s past, Meiji period. Join the free Meiji & Harajuku walking tour --- you’ll get the most interesting tips and secrets as told by a local! There are also many other things to do for your day tour in Tokyo. Plan ahead and don’t forget to include joining free walking tours in Tokyo to get the most out of your trip in Japan!
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About the writer
Rocel is a believer of living life to the fullest through creating memories with her loved ones – family, friends and self. One of the things she enjoys doing with them is travelling where they get to experience new cultures, new cuisines, new stories to share and memories to look back. In 2018 alone, she travelled to 5 continents which exposed her to the world’s wonders. After all those trips, Japan is still one of her favorite countries because of its unique and rich culture and natural resources. She lived and studied in Tokyo, Japan for one year where she developed deeper love and appreciation towards the country.
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