Odaiba is a man made island in Tokyo Bay. The lsland has seen development over the past twenty years focused on office complexes, museums, and recreational activities ranging from shopping to Sega Joyoplis, a video game "theme park". The island makes for an interesting day trip and several different stops can be combined to take advantage of the wide range of sites. The island is accessible via the Yurikamome tram line that leaves every five minutes from Shimbashi station. Once on the island all sites are within walking distance and maps are scattered along the walking paths.
MIRAIKAN - THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF EMERGING SCIENCE AND INNOVATION
The Miraikan Museum is something you're likely to find only in Japan. The Museum is dedicated to robots, androids, and planning smart cities of the future. There are also a few exhibits dedicated to sea and space exploration.
The first exhibit that greets you on the third floor is an android. It's either incredibly creepy or an exciting glimpse into the not so distant future. The similarities and movement are uncannily close to a human. There's a video that shows the creation of the android and the human model. At one point the human and android sit next to one another and at a quick glance they are virtually indistinguishable. |
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In the afternoon you can play with the exhibit - someone can voice the android from a closed both while others have a conversation. If the android isn't scarily futuristic enough the museum's star, Asimo, may have you running for the exhibits. Three times at day Asimo emerges from behind a door and performs a routine. It starts slowly at first but soon he is running and hopping in a circle on one foot. Being here makes me wonder why their isn't a similar museum in the US - it would be an ideal attraction in the SIlicon Valley for companies to showcase their prototypes; but I notice that while the Japanese seem engaged with the robots and exhibits the few Westerners are in a state of shock and bewilderment...Westerner's imagination of a world of future robots gravitates to images of Terminator and a destroyed Earth while the Japanese have an opposite approach and see robots as friends.
In addition to these two exhibits there's a future town interactive diagram, a space and sea exploration area, an hourly movie, and a few hands on exhibits.
In addition to these two exhibits there's a future town interactive diagram, a space and sea exploration area, an hourly movie, and a few hands on exhibits.
TOYOTA MEGA WEB
In the Palette Town there is a giant space dedicated to Toyota's current and near future car models. There's a short track where cars can be driven but otherwise the exhibit is primarily a car show room.
I hadn't been in a driver in a car for over a year so I thought it was actually cool to sit in the car and put my hands on the steering wheel - others may not have the same effect. Unrelated to the Toyota Mega Web but in an adjoining complex is a car history "street" in which vintage American automobiles reside in an equally vintage setting. |
SHOPPING AND AMUSEMENT
Odaiba has several upscale and well-designed malls. The Venus Fort mall looks like a Roman street scene. The Decks Mall contains a Sega Joyopolis which I was very excited about until I found out it cost about $40 for admission. That admission did grant you unlimited access to all games. A single game cost $15 so if you plan to visit Sega Joyopolis it would be best to make it a multi-hour engagement. The Diver Mall has a huge, life-size statue of Gundam, a giant robot from a popular Japanese anime. It's along the walk from Maraikan to Toyota Mega Web.
For additional Odaiba Island photos see FLICKR ALBUM.