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{{Short description|Artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan}}
[[File:Odaiba close up - 2025 Jan 14 01-27PM.jpeg|thumb|right|300px|Odaiba as seen from the [[Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo)|Rainbow Bridge]] in 2025]]
{{nihongo|'''Odaiba'''|お台場}} is a large [[artificial island]] in [[Tokyo Bay]], Japan, across the [[Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo)|Rainbow Bridge]] from central [[Tokyo]]. Odaiba was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s. The land was dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and was redeveloped in the 1990s into a major commercial, residential and leisure area. Odaiba, along with [[Minato Mirai 21]] in Yokohama, is one of the few manmade seashores in Tokyo Bay where the waterfront is accessible and not blocked by industry and harbor areas.

The majority of the island is located in Tokyo's [[Koto, Tokyo|Kōtō]] ward, with the north and northwest of the island in [[Minato, Tokyo|Minato]] and [[Shinagawa, Tokyo|Shinagawa]] wards. {{nihongo|'''Daiba'''|台場}} formally refers to one district of the island located in Minato.<ref>Bureau of Port and Harbor, Tokyo Metropolitan Government supplies a diagram to show the original area. {{cite web|url= http://www.kouwan.metro.tokyo.jp/rinkai/shisetsu/daiba/|title= Daiba chiku|trans-title= Daiba district |language= ja |publisher= Bureau of Port and Harbor, Tokyo Metropolitan Government|access-date= 20 October 2017}}</ref> Governor [[Shintaro Ishihara]] used ''Odaiba'' to refer to the entire {{nihongo|'''Tokyo Waterfront Secondary City Center'''|東京臨海副都心|Tōkyō Rinkai Fukutoshin}}, which includes the [[Ariake, Tokyo|Ariake]] and [[Aomi, Tokyo|Aomi]] districts of [[Kōtō, Tokyo|Kōtō Ward]] and the Higashi-Yashio district of [[Shinagawa, Tokyo|Shinagawa Ward]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.jnpc.or.jp/archive/conferences/21044/report |title=Kaiken Repōto: Ishihara Shintarō Tōkyōto chiji |trans-title= Press Conference: Shintaro Ishihara, the Governor of Tokyo|language= ja |date= 20 December 1999|publisher= Japan National Press Club |access-date= 20 October 2017}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Odaiba view close up 2025 Jan 14 01-07PM.jpeg|thumb|left|View of Odaiba from the north, with [[Fuji TV]] building in the center, shopping malls in the front, and Nikko hotel to the right]]

=== Battery islands ===

The name ''Odaiba'' alludes to {{nihongo||[[:ja:台場|台場]]|daiba|"[[artillery battery|batteries]]" / "forts"}},<ref>{{cite book|last=Hepburn|first=James Curtis|author-link=James Curtis Hepburn|title=和英英和語林集成|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qvEWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA65|year=1886|publisher=Z.P. Maruya|page=65|quote= Daiba {{lang|ja|䑓場}} [obsolete variant orthography of {{lang|ja|台場}}] {{abbr|n.|noun}} A fort, battery}}</ref> which formed small islands nearby. They were constructed in 1853 by [[Egawa Hidetatsu]] for the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] in order to protect [[Edo]] from attack by sea, the primary threat being Commodore [[Matthew Perry (naval officer)|Matthew Perry]]'s [[Black Ships]], which had arrived in the same year.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=zkkjpWYS8icC&pg=PA143 ''The architecture of Tokyo'' Hiroshi Watanabe p.143]</ref> In 1928, the {{nihongo||第三台場|Dai-San Daiba|No. 3 Battery}} was refurbished and opened to the public as the Metropolitan [[:ja:台場公園|Daiba Park]].
[[File:DaiRokuDaiba.jpg|thumb|right|Edo-era {{nihongo||第六台場|Dai-Roku Daiba|No. 6 Battery}}, viewed from the [[Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo)|Rainbow Bridge]]. Background: the developed area of Odaiba.]]
[[File:Shinagawa Baidai cannon.jpg|thumb|A cannon from Odaiba, now at the [[Yasukuni Shrine]]. 80-pound bronze, bore: {{convert|250|mm|2|abbr=on}}, length: {{convert|3,830|mm|2|abbr=on}}.]]
Of the originally planned 11 batteries, seven construction projects started, but only six were ever finished.<ref name="ishizaki">{{Cite journal |last= Ishizaki |first= Masakazu |title= Bunken kara mita Shinagawa daiba |trans-title= A Study on Sinagawa Daiba through Literatures |language= ja |year =1992|journal= Dobokushi Kenkyu (Historical Studies in Civil Engineering) |volume= 12|doi=10.2208/journalhs1990.12.403|pages= 403–408|doi-access= free }}</ref> No. 1 to No. 3 Batteries were completed in eight months in 1853. Construction on Nos. 4 to 7 started in 1854, but only Nos. 5 and 6 were finished by the year's end. Nos. 4 and 7 were abandoned, with 30% and 70% unfinished (respectively), and an alternative land-based battery near [[:ja:御殿山 (品川区)|Gotenyama]] was built instead. However, they resumed construction on No. 4 in 1862 and completed it the following year.<ref name=ishizaki/>

Until the mid-1960s, all except two batteries (Nos. 3 and 6) were either removed to facilitate ship navigation or incorporated into Shinagawa port and [[Tennōzu]]. In 1979, the "landfill no. 13" (now [[Minato, Tokyo|Minato-ku]] Daiba, [[Shinagawa, Tokyo|Shinagawa-ku]] Higashi-Yashio and [[Kōtō, Tokyo|Kōtō-ku]] [[Aomi, Tokyo|Aomi]] districts) was finished and connected to the park that was No. 3 Battery. On the other hand, No. 6 was left to nature (access prohibited).

=== Redevelopment ===

The modern island of Odaiba began to take shape when the [[Port of Tokyo]] opened in 1941.

Tokyo governor [[Shunichi Suzuki (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 [[Japanese yen|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 (Tokyo)|Rainbow Bridge]] and the [[Yurikamome]] rapid transit line—made travel to and from central Tokyo relatively time-consuming and costly.

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 [[Tokyo Waterfront Railway|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.

The [[D1 Grand Prix]] motorsport series hosted drifting events at Odaiba from 2004 to 2018, 2023, and 2024.
[[File:Hilton_Tokyo_Odaiba_2.jpg|thumb|Hilton Tokyo in Odaiba]]
Odaiba was one of the venues for the [[2020 Summer Olympics]]. A temporary arena was built at [[Shiokaze Park]] for [[beach volleyball]], and temporary stands were built for the Odaiba Marine Park to hold [[triathlon]] and [[marathon swimming]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Venue Plan|url=http://tokyo2020.jp/en/plan/venue/index.html|publisher=Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee|access-date=8 July 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727040849/http://tokyo2020.jp/en/plan/venue/index.html|archive-date=27 July 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Tokio20040612 2.jpg|thumb|center|700px|Odaiba at night, with the now removed [[Daikanransha]] Ferris wheel and ''[[yakatabune]]'' boats in the bay foreground, 2004]]

== Attractions ==
Today's Odaiba is a popular shopping and sightseeing destination for Tokyoites and tourists alike. Major attractions include:

* [[Fuji Television]] headquarters, with a distinctive building designed by [[Kenzo Tange]]
* [[Miraikan]], Japan's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation
* [[Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo)|Rainbow Bridge]], connecting Odaiba to the heart of Tokyo
* [[Tokyo Big Sight]] (Tokyo International Exhibition Center)
* Aqua City, a shopping center featuring a chapel, [[Toys "R" Us]] and 13-screen [[United Cinemas International|United Cinemas]]
* [[DiverCity Tokyo Plaza]], a shopping center containing Unko Museum Tokyo, the world's first [[Doraemon]] Future Department Store (ドラえもん未来デパート), and
** Gundam Base Tokyo, featuring a 19.7-meter (64.6 feet) tall [[Statue of Unicorn Gundam|statue]] of [[Gundam (mobile suit)|Gundam]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2017-09-01/watch-life-size-unicorn-gundam-statue-field-test-its-transformation/.120843?ref=world |title=Giant 60-Foot "Mobile Suit Gundam" Statue Presides Over DiverCity Tokyo Plaza (PHOTO) |work=[[Anime News Network]] |date=2017-09-01 |access-date=2017-09-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://japandeluxetours.com/experiences/tokyo-gundam-front|title=Gundam Base Tokyo (Optional) |publisher=[[Japan Deluxe Tours]] |date=2017-10-02 |access-date=2017-10-04}}</ref>
** another [[Zepp]] location (Zepp DiverCity)
* Decks Tokyo Beach shopping mall, featuring Sega [[Joypolis]], Odaiba Takoyaki Museum, Madame Tussauds and Legoland Discovery Center
*[[Museum of Maritime Science]] (''Fune no kagakukan''), with swimming pool
* Shiokaze park with BBQ places and Higashi Yashio park
* Telecom Center Building ([[Tokyo MX|MXTV's]] former headquarters), with observation deck
* One of two beaches in urban Tokyo (swimming prohibited), along with [[Kasai Rinkai Park]] in [[Edogawa, Tokyo|Edogawa Ward]]
* A replica of the [[Replicas of the Statue of Liberty#Japan|Statue of Liberty]]
* Panasonic Center, a science and technology showroom
* [[Sea Forest Waterway]], the regatta venue for [[rowing (sport)|rowing]] and [[canoeing]] at the [[2020 Summer Olympic Games]]
* A new 150-meter-high, 250-meter-wide fountain will be located in Odaiba Marine Park in March 2026.{{Update after|2026|3|31|category|reason=Was the fountain installed on schedule?}} “The Odaiba Fountain draws inspiration from nature for its design, with its cherry blossom-shaped base. Light and musical water displays will accompany its effects. The project will cost 2.62 billion yen. The Tokyo government estimates that the water show will attract more than 2.5 million visitors annually. Taking into account direct and indirect revenue, this is expected to bring in an additional 9.8 billion yen for the city.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carne |first=Anna |date=2024-11-11 |title=One of the Largest Fountains in the World Is Coming to Tokyo |url=https://www.tokyoweekender.com/japan-life/news-and-opinion/mega-fountain-coming-to-tokyo/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Tokyo Weekender |language=en}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo) at night 2.JPG|[[Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo)|Rainbow Bridge]]
File:Palette Town Ⅱ.JPG|[[Palette Town]] (permanently closed)
File:Nihon-Kagaku-Miraikan,Koto-ward,Tokyo,Japan.JPG|[[Miraikan]]
File:Odaiba Statue of Liberty & Rainbow Bridge 3.jpg|Replica [[Statue of Liberty]] with the Rainbow Bridge
File:Zepp_DiverCity.JPG|Zepp DiverCity
</gallery>

== Transport ==
[[File:Yurikamome Series7300-7451F Rainbow-Bridge.jpg|thumb|right|[[Yurikamome]] automated guideway transit service]]
Two [[Shuto Expressway]] lines access Odaiba: Route 11 enters from central Tokyo crossing the [[Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo)|Rainbow Bridge]], while the [[Bayshore Route]] enters from Shinagawa Ward through the Tokyo Port Tunnel and from the bayfront areas of Tokyo and [[Chiba Prefecture]] to the east.

By public transport, Odaiba is accessible via the automated [[Yurikamome]] transit system from [[Shimbashi Station|Shimbashi]] and [[Toyosu Station|Toyosu]]. The privately operated [[Rinkai Line]] runs between [[Shin-Kiba Station|Shin-kiba]] and [[Ōsaki Station|Osaki]], but many trains connect directly to [[Shibuya Station|Shibuya]], [[Shinjuku Station|Shinjuku]], and [[Ikebukuro Station|Ikebukuro]]. City buses provide cheaper if slower access. [[Ferries]] connect Odaiba with [[Asakusa]] running along the [[Sumida River]] and the [[Kasai Rinkai Park]] in eastern Tokyo.

[[File:Hotaluna by Rainbow Bridge Tokyo (7813816026).jpg|thumb|right|[[Tokyo Cruise Ship]]]]
The [[Tokyo Cruise Ship]] is a [[Water taxi|water bus]] operator in [[Tokyo]] that offers services including public lines as well as event cruises and chartered ships. Such as from Asakusa → Odaiba Seaside Park → Toyosu → Asakusa.

== Cultural references ==
Odaiba, the Rainbow Bridge, and other parts of the surrounding area are a major setting of the ''[[Digimon Adventure (1999 TV series)|Digimon Adventure]]'' franchise. The area is noted in many major areas of the plot.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/shiriamae.html |title=Odaiba - Shiria-mae Crossing |access-date=15 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222130501/http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/shiriamae.html |archive-date=22 December 2015 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/odaibamansion.html |title=Odaiba (odaibamansion) |access-date=15 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222122427/http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/odaibamansion.html |archive-date=22 December 2015 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/rainbowkoen.html |title=Odaiba (rainbowkoen) |access-date=15 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006212532/http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/rainbowkoen.html |archive-date=6 October 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/school.html |title=Odaiba (school) |access-date=15 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222173810/http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/school.html |archive-date=22 December 2015 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/rainbowbridge.html |title=Odaiba (rainbowbridge) |access-date=15 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222120831/http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/rainbowbridge.html |archive-date=22 December 2015 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/daiba.html |title=Odaiba (daiba) |access-date=15 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222144223/http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/daiba.html |archive-date=22 December 2015 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/page2.html |title=Odaiba (Map) |access-date=15 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006212558/http://marron.extracaffeine.com/odaiba/page2.html |archive-date=6 October 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

Odaiba serves as the main setting for the multimedia project ''[[Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club]]'', in which the [[Tokyo Big Sight]] building serves as the Nijigasaki High School ((虹ヶ咲学園, ''Nijigasaki Gakuen).'' Diver City, Sega Joypolis and the Rainbow Bridge can be seen as settings in the animation.{{CN|date=July 2021}}

Odaiba may be referenced in the game ''[[Slow Damage]]'' by NITRO CHiRAL. The plot takes place in a city called Shinkoumi, referenced to previously being part of the Tokyo Waterfront. {{CN|date=April 2024}}

Battery No. 6 is used as a key location in the short story "Solitary Isle" by Japanese writer [[Koji Suzuki]] included in the [[Dark Water (short story collection)|Dark Water]].

The now-closed [[Daikanransha]] Ferris wheel is featured in the credits of the first ending theme of the anime [[Inuyasha (TV series)|''Inuyasha'']].

==Education==
[[File:Одайба-гакуэн.jpg|thumb|left|Odaiba Gakuen ([[:ja:港区立お台場学園|お台場学園]]), the public elementary and junior high school on Odaiba]]
Minato City Board of Education operates public elementary and junior high schools. Daiba 1-2 [[chōme]] 1-5-ban are zoned to Odaiba Gakuen ([[:ja:港区立お台場学園|お台場学園]])<!--https://odaiba-ej.minato-tky.ed.jp/--> for elementary and junior high school.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.city.minato.tokyo.jp/gakkouuneishien/kodomo/gakko/tetsuzuki/tennyugaku/tetsuzuki/documents/kuiki-r4.pdf|title=港区立小・中学校通学区域一覧表（令和4年4月以降）|publisher=City of Minato|accessdate=2022-10-08|archive-date=2022-10-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008171116/https://www.city.minato.tokyo.jp/gakkouuneishien/kodomo/gakko/tetsuzuki/tennyugaku/tetsuzuki/documents/kuiki-r4.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{-}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Tokyo}}
{{Commons category|Odaiba}}
{{Wikivoyage|Tokyo/Odaiba}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120509175614/http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/tourists/spot/area_intro/odaiba/index.html Area Guide] of Odaiba with sightseeing spots
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071128190939/http://www2.kankyo.metro.tokyo.jp/odaiba/history/m25shinagawadaiba.jpg historical map] from 1892 (in Japanese)

{{Minato, Tokyo}}
{{D1GP circuits}}

{{Authority control}}

{{2020 Summer Olympic venues}}
{{Olympic venues swimming}}
{{Olympic venues triathlon}}

{{Coord|35.63|N|139.775|E|display=title}}

[[Category:Odaiba| ]]
[[Category:Venues of the 2020 Summer Olympics|Odaiba Youth Park]]
[[Category:Artificial islands of Tokyo]]
[[Category:Artificial islands of Japan]]
[[Category:Islands of Tokyo Bay]]
[[Category:Geography of Minato, Tokyo]]
[[Category:Neighborhoods of Tokyo]]
[[Category:Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in Japan]]
[[Category:Bakumatsu]]
[[Category:Islands of Tokyo]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Tokyo]]
[[Category:Olympic swimming venues]]
[[Category:Olympic triathlon venues]]