Samurai Theologian in Tokyo - Odaiba
Monday, March 12th, 2007
Daniel here. Reporting for JapanesePod101.com.
Tokyo has no shortage of date spots. But, perhaps the most popular with the younger crowd (with the exception of Disneyland), is Odaiba (お台場). Odaiba is an manmade island in Tokyo Bay. It was originally built toward the end of the Edo Period (mid 19th Century) to protect Tokyo from attack by sea. After a failed attempt to make it into a high-rent district toward the end of the “bubble economy”, it was nearly abandoned. However, in the last ten years, it was rezoned as a commercial and entertainment district and has boomed in that capacity.
The most common way for young people to reach Odaiba is by taking the Yurikamome (ゆりかもめ線) Line from Shinbashi (新橋), which is just a few stops from Tokyo Station on the Yamanote Line (山手線). But, now you can get there with transferring directly from Shinjuku (新宿) by taking the newer Rinkai Line (りんかい線). For those with cars, there is the Rainbow Bridge which connects to the main part of Tokyo.
After arriving in Odaiba, there are many attractions to see. There is the Fuji TV studios with its funky building; Venus Fort, a Venice-themed shopping mall; Aqua City, a more American style shopping mall; Decks Tokyo Beach shopping mall; Sega Joypolis; Daikanransha, the second largest ferris wheel in the world; Zepp Tokyo, a popular live performance joint; Miraikan, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (http:www.miraikan.jst.go.jp); some hot springs, hotels, a beach, a park and more.
As many of you know, I perform wedding ceremonies on Saturdays, and one place that I frequent is Le Meridien Grand Pacific Tokyo Hotel next to Daiba Station. This is a luxurious European-style hotel and is close to Fuji TV and Aqua City. So, I know Aqua City better than I know the other shopping venues. In Aqua City, you can find movie theaters, and stores like the Gap, Eddie Bauer, HMV (like Tower Records), G-Shock Store, J. Crew, Disney Store, Coach, and many smaller boutiques. There are also food places like Godiva, Starbucks, Kua’Aina, Cinnabon, Long Board Café and plethora of Asian food restaurants.
Also, from the terrace in front of Aqua City, there is a great view of Rainbow Bridge over Tokyo Bay and a replica of the Statue of Liberty.
So, if you’re looking for a fun date spot near Tokyo Bay, check out Odaiba. I plan, myself, to check out the ferris wheel sometime soon.
I hope you enjoyed this review. Be sure to visit the blog at blogs.japanesepod101.com and leave a comment.
Until next time, saraba.
Posted by Daniel Beck in Samurai Theologian |
March 12th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Daniel here.
I hope you enjoyed this review. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to click the play button to hear the audio. Also, in a few days, I’ll have the enhanced version of this audio where you can see more photos from お台場。You’ll be able to get that from my website, which is linked to my name above.
I’d love to hear your comments. And, if any of you have experiences at お台場 that you care to share, write them here!
March 13th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Daniel-san,
What a beautiful picture! I had never heard of Odaiba before. I’m not interested in shopping, but I would love to see the view and go to a restaurant. (I do like eating!). The Statue of Liberty is there??? Wow!! I got a little dis-oriented!
It was fun hearing your audio. I am sure it’s very helpful to the many podcast listeners who are not English speakers!
One little thing I noticed, the word “toward”. When spoken, many people add an “s” to that word like you did! (They don’t call me Ms. Grammar Police for nothing!)
Anyone, this was really fun and I hope to visit there when I go to Japan.
March 13th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
moodleの課題、OKですか？？
March 13th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
What do I have to do?
March 14th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Liz-san,
Actually, toward and towards are both correct. Apparently toward is more common in the U.S. and towards is more common in Britain, but I think that I tend to use towards myself. I’ve looked into this before out of curiosity
Daniel-san,
You left out the ‘ri’ in the English rendition of Yurikamome, but you got it right in the kana! I’ve never been to Odaiba, but I’ve always wanted to take the Yurikamome line just to ride over all of that water
I have taken the monorail a few times, though, which will have to suffice for now 
March 15th, 2007 at 7:23 am
Nathan-san!
You’re alive!! hehehehe
Anyway (not “anyways”
) I checked this reference which uses several major English dictionairies. “Towards” is listed as a variant, no mention of UK or U.S. As for myself, I always say, “Toward”.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/towards
March 15th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
I hate to interrupt the English grammar discussion, but I want to let you all know that I finally got the enhanced version of the Kua’Aina audio up on my site. See all the mouth-watering photos of the burgers mentioned in that post.
http://web.mac.com/danielbeck/iWeb/Home/Podcast/Podcast.html
I’ll try to get the enhanced version of this post up soon as well.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:48 pm
the pictrue is ? not in japan.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:48 am
On one trip to Japan, my daughter and I had planned on visiting Disneyland Tokyo. It rained so much that day that we instead made the trip to Decks…there was alot to do inside and we had a great time. Besides date night, this is a great daytime place for families caught in bad weather.