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Tokyo's all in one entertainment precinct
Odaiba is a shopping and entertainment district offering a huge variety of entertainment options, just a short distance from central Tokyo across the Rainbow Bridge. Odaiba caters to that curious Japanese taste for artificial attractions and may be considered gaudy by some, but it is popular and offers a fun day out for the family. The area is bounded by wooden promenade decks looking out onto the bay, offering great views of the city and waterfront and plenty of spots to enjoy an outdoor meal.
Attraction number one (for the locals at any rate) is the artificial beach complete with sand and picnic spots. Swimming however is forbidden and with good reason as the water is apparently less than clean. It's popular with the Japanese, at any rate, who see no irony in creating a beach that can't be used for swimming. Wind surfing rather than swimming is the sport of choice at Odaiba.
Odaiba has several pleasant parks, the largest and most popular is known as Shiokaze Kouen and offers barbeque facilities and - you guessed it - an artificial river. The park is a popular spot with families in a city that is short on space and gets crowded on sunny days. Bring your own lunch and you can enjoy a cheap day out.
Also popular is the Fuji TV studio, which provides panoramic views of Tokyo from the viewing sphere on the 25th floor. For Western tourists this is the highlight of the Fuji Studio building but there is plenty more to see if your Japanese language skills are up to the task. You can see a fully operational Japanese TV studio in action and a series of interesting exhibitions, albeit all with Japanese language text only. The studio is on the 7th floor of the building.
Another popular attraction in the Decks Tokyo Beach Complex. This six story building is packed full of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. The first two floors are devoted to shopping * food, clothes, household goods, electronics and everything under the sun. There is also an excellent selection of Japanese, Asian and Western style restaurants.
Some of the more unique attractions at Decks Tokyo Beach include a brewery, an artificial "Hong Kong" aptly described as "Little Hong Kong" which offers a sort of indoor mini imitation China Town complete with shops selling Cantonese food and products. The food here is very popular and Little Hong Kong can get very, very crowded.
The number one attraction for children in the complex is the Joypolis entertainment centre, Tokyo's largest amusement centre and jam packed with the latest and greatest combat and car racing machines. It is run by game kings Sega and will keep your children occupied (and spending money) all day long.
Nearby Aqua City offers even more indoor fantasy and entertainment - this place has 13 cinema screens and much more - most notably an imitation Statue of Liberty right out the front.
The list of dining, amusement and shopping attractions in this fascinating waterside district goes on and on. There is even an enormous ferris wheel, an enormous exhibition centre full of cars known as Mega Web, the Tokyo Water Museum and even a "Tokyo Teleport". Odaiba is popular with young couples and families and for the westerner is perhaps best viewed as a place to sit back and watch the locals play.
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HOTEL RESERVATIONS 
