Wed 2008/12/17 23:16
Just got back from having dinner in Odaiba and went out on the decks to catch some of the festive illuminations. At this time of evening it took us 30 mins to get there by car. Using the highway would get us there 10 mins quicker but cost an extra 700 yen to use. Interesting history about Odaiba from Wikipedia...The name Odaiba comes from a series of six island fortresses constructed in 1853 by the Tokugawa shogunate in order to protect Edo from attack by sea, the primary threat being Commodore Matthew Perry's Black Ships which had arrived in the same year. Daiba in Japanese refers to the cannon batteries placed on the islands. In 1928, the Dai-San Daiba (第三台場) or "No. 3 Battery" was refurbished and opened to the public as the Metropolitan Daiba Park, which remains open to this day. From the originally planned 11 batteries, only five were ever finished. The modern island of Odaiba began to take shape when the Port of Tokyo opened in 1941. Until the mid 1960s all except two batteries were either removed for unhindered passage of ships or incorporated into the Shinagawa port facilities and Tennozu island. In 1979 the then called landfill no. 13 (now Minato-ku Daiba, Shinagawa-ku Higashi-Yashio and Koto-ku Aomi districts), was finished directly connecting with the old "No. 3 Battery". "No. 6 Battery" was left to nature (landing prohibited). Tokyo governor Shunichi Suzuki began a major development plan in the early 1990s to redevelop Odaiba as Tokyo Teleport Town, a showcase for futuristic living, with new residential and commercial development housing a population of over 100,000. The redevelopment was scheduled to be complete in time for a planned "International Urban Exposition" in spring 1996. Suzuki's successor Yukio Aoshima halted the plan in 1995, by which point over JPY 1 trillion had been spent on the project, and Odaiba was still underpopulated and full of vacant lots. Many of the special companies set up to develop the island became practically bankrupt. The collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble was a major factor, as it frustrated commercial development in Tokyo generally. The area was also viewed as inconvenient for business, as its physical connections to Tokyo—the Rainbow Bridge and the Yurikamome rapid transit line—made travel to and from central Tokyo relatively time-consuming. The area started coming back to life in the late 1990s as a tourist and leisure zone, with several large hotels and shopping malls. Several large companies including Fuji Television moved their headquarters to the island, and transportation links improved with the connection of the Rinkai Line into the JR East railway network in 2002 and the eastward extension of the Yurikamome to Toyosu in 2006. Tokyo Big Sight, the convention center originally built to house Governor Suzuki's planned intercity convention, also became a major venue for international expositions.
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Posted on Wed 2008/12/17 23:16 by
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Sun 12/30 10:24 comments (38)
Student, part-time Haruhi wannabe (that bit about godhood etc)
Saw a feature program on Odaiba sometime back. Would love to go there if I get to go to Japan again...
(ID #415922) Posted on 2008/12/17 23:25
Student
Nice place and all the history behind it make it more meaningful and a place to visit.
(ID #415925) Posted on 2008/12/17 23:28
Lurker, and part time super-villian.
Wow, talk about it all being in the name. Also, it looks pretty ^^
(ID #415934) Posted on 2008/12/17 23:34
Polytechnic Senior, Bronze Lifesaving Trainee, Mech Designer, Pokemon Indexer.
Truly. XD
(ID #419446) Posted on 2008/12/20 23:43
College student / anime and manga okatu (in training)
I love history (not in the book history -_-" but to actually experience the history is another story i love to do those stuff) so this place will definitely be on my list of places to see ^^ the lights also look so good ^^
(ID #415944) Posted on 2008/12/17 23:41
I'll be going there next week! I heard Christmas decorations are really pretty in Tokyo now. Can't wait~
(ID #415948) Posted on 2008/12/17 23:49
Japan filled with much culture and history. It really is amazing and You can really feel the christmas atmosphere in the picture.
(ID #415952) Posted on 2008/12/17 23:55
Secondary School Student
Hey what's that building with words lit up. Female God's something something.. Anyway,Danny you sure live a busy life, running around everywhere in Japan. Must be tough,huh? Or maybe you just went out with your wife? >_<
(ID #415958) Posted on 2008/12/18 00:03
Student, part-time Haruhi wannabe (that bit about godhood etc)
Megami no Gate. Goddess Gate?
(ID #415975) Posted on 2008/12/18 00:23
The floor is so wet o.o Rain?
(ID #415962) Posted on 2008/12/18 00:11
Cool place :)
(ID #415976) Posted on 2008/12/18 00:23
Id like to see more articles on Christmas lights in Tokyo as I always enjoy the night shots.
(ID #415988) Posted on 2008/12/18 00:33
Graphic Design student | Receptionist | Otaku
Wow.. it looks so pretty and neon ^_____^ Ignoring the fact that Cyberpunk is 'supposedly dead', are there many Cyberpunks in Japan, Danny? All that neon and hi-tech makes me wonder... XD
(ID #415994) Posted on 2008/12/18 00:47
Ha ha, you go out to eat a lot, don't you Danny! -_^
(ID #416016) Posted on 2008/12/18 01:25
Student during the day, otaku at night, and amateur musician ^_^
Nice place. I enjoy night shots like this for some reason ^_^
(ID #416025) Posted on 2008/12/18 01:41
High school student
The illuminated tree looks pretty. 700 yen for driving a few kilometers on highway?! でっかい高いです。
(ID #416049) Posted on 2008/12/18 02:00
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:54)
nice looking tree with the cards. wonder if they're wish cards or just decor. ^^
(ID #416056) Posted on 2008/12/18 02:14
nice history lesson. and nice photo too.
(ID #416071) Posted on 2008/12/18 02:34
I love to learn new things. And that tree is very pretty too :)
(ID #416085) Posted on 2008/12/18 03:05
I love Odaiba! Riding on the monorail and looking out over the island, the whole place looks like it should be the setting for a Mega Man game.
(ID #416096) Posted on 2008/12/18 03:12
Kinny Riddle (Registered on 2008/03/19 23:01)
Ah yes, Odaiba, great place to wander, especially if you have a boyfriend/girlfriend. Very amused with its Statue of Liberty replica, as well as their "Mini Hong Kong" in one of their shopping centres (instead of revolving sushi, you have revolving dim-sum, WTF. ) Before going to Odaiba, I had no idea it was quite near Tokyo Big Sight, where Comiket is held regularly. Now I know where to go if I ever want to go to Comiket. ;)
(ID #416133) Posted on 2008/12/18 04:13
AdvDip Network Security - CCNA - Ironport - Security+
revolving dim sum!!!!! this is definitely now on my 'must visit' list
(ID #416509) Posted on 2008/12/18 12:37
Hotdog Repairman
Only 1 question: Any cute girls there?
(ID #416142) Posted on 2008/12/18 04:32
Cute girl in the night!!! LOL
(ID #416212) Posted on 2008/12/18 07:28
CEO MIrai Inc
Plenty - but they are usually with their BF.
(ID #416255) Posted on 2008/12/18 08:47
Hotdog Repairman
Bah! Humbug.
(ID #416577) Posted on 2008/12/18 13:47
Beautiful picture:)
(ID #416194) Posted on 2008/12/18 06:53
Was there two months ago on vacation, mostly spent at Palette Town and the Onsen. Given a choice I'd have stayed at the Onsen for a week.
(ID #416284) Posted on 2008/12/18 09:30
王オタク ｘ 天才様
~~They're called "Christmas lights" not "illuminations"!~~ The nice thing about highways here is they are freeways ^^ although I haven't encountered a major traffic jam on Japanese highways yet...
(ID #416298) Posted on 2008/12/18 09:46
Pseudo-Graphic Designer, 太もも Appreciator
I hear it's very touristy or lots of shopping in Odaiba. Danny was in Odaiba not too long ago right? Or did I mix up anime with real life again? >.>
(ID #416336) Posted on 2008/12/18 10:24
amatuer bum
well he was there at 7pm ? =p but hahaha, mixing rl events up with anime events. That might be proof of watching to much anime. (also I do it too)
(ID #416479) Posted on 2008/12/18 12:10
Pseudo-Graphic Designer, 太もも Appreciator
Haha good point... so it must've been an anime then XD
(ID #416547) Posted on 2008/12/18 13:17
Kawaii Pink Stuffs FanGirl, Cat Lover, Otaku, MP3 Hunter, Matcha & Afternoon Milk Tea Addict.
Wow, that's pretty. I planned to go Odaiba to see Cat's Livin when i was in Japan last october but didnt have enough time so we skipped it, sigh :(
(ID #416416) Posted on 2008/12/18 11:12
uncreative (Registered on 2008/08/16 01:50)
Odaiba = That place where Tokyo Big Sight is Just kidding.
(ID #416474) Posted on 2008/12/18 12:06
Yet again, some more Japan 101 from Danny. :D Well, Odaiba sounds like an interesting place with lot's of history, maybe I'll check it out on my next trip back?
(ID #416596) Posted on 2008/12/18 14:05
Looks like a real nice place for a after dinner walk...
(ID #416624) Posted on 2008/12/18 14:23
The history of a place only interests me for a little while. I can look at Mt. Rushmore and listen about the history it, but if I'm there in person I'll stop caring pretty quickly.
(ID #416853) Posted on 2008/12/18 18:18
Part trooper, part -timer, 100% loser...
"They're called lights, not illuminations..." Or something like that... Can't remember the lyrics from the collaboration video...
(ID #417777) Posted on 2008/12/19 13:22
Future Pioneer and a Dreamer
Hehehe Patlabor use the no 13! Haikibutsu 13 gou!
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