Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Aqua City Odaiba -2-

I think this reclaimed area called Odaiba is mainly for couples, but since numerous events are held through a year, even old people visit this place to experience things that aren't available usually. There is Tokyo Disney Land nearby, so if you come to the American amusement park, please drop by this place, too. 

 
This "Statue of Liberty" was made after the one we rented from France in '98, and '99. As you can see, this is much smaller the real one in the USA, and its height is only 11 meters and it weighs 9 tons. This spot is considered to be the best place in Aqua City to take pics. This statue is also called "Daiba no Megami", or Goddess of Daiba (you can drop "O" when you want to say Odaiba).

 
On this day I came here by car, but you can take advantage of train as well. There are some good bars in this area, so if you want to feel good with sips of vodka and doze away on your way home, take a monorail called "Yurikamome". 

 
 As the weather was really nice and it was warm for winter, I didn't get tired at all while I was walking. It snows a lot in the areas that are facing Sea of Japan, but in the areas that surround Tokyo, in which I live, it rarely snows and is often sunny during the winter. 

  
 You can have Hawaiian dishes at this "Longboard Cafe". On the menu are hamburger, locomoco, hot dog and so on. This cafe is situated in front of the Statue of Liberty, so you can have the nice view and lunch at those tables. 

  
 This boat is called "Himko" and it started its operation in '04. This is designed by the renowned cartoonist "Leiji Matsumoto" and modeled after a teardrop. You can go to Asakusa from here.

  
 On the fifth floor of this Aqua City, there is an area where you can taste Ramen from Hokkaido, Tokyo, Fukuoka and so on. 6 or 7 Ramen shops per half a year has opened since '05. But you can have those Ramens until the end of this month. 

  
There is the headquarter of Fuji Television Network in Odaiba. It held an event called "United States of Odaiba" in the summer of '09, where people could see a variety of concerts, and experience games. The line you're seeing in front of the building is the monorail "Yurikamome", which I referred to a little while ago. I took advantage of this line to see the life-size Gundam last summer.

 
The Ferris wheel you're seeing is in an area called "Palette town" It takes about 10 minutes on foot from Aqua City. It runs from 10am to 10pm and a ride costs you about 10 dollars a person. You can command an overall view of Tokyo from the summit and I recommend you take a ride in the night. 

I came to this place with a girlfriend years ago, and I still think this is the best place for a couple. We tend to get sick of our daily routine, but if you want to get out of it and refresh your mind, this is the place in Tokyo where you would feel liberated  =)