Odaiba

Odaiba began as daiba, artificial gun platforms built in Tokyo Bay in the 1850s to defend the city from the sea; two of the original earthworks survive as a park you can walk out to. The rest was reclaimed and developed from the 1990s as a waterfront district, and the result is malls, exhibition halls, a beach that is not for swimming, and a set of oddities: a two-fifths replica of the Statue of Liberty, put up temporarily in 1998 and kept by demand; the Fuji Television building with a spherical observation room on struts; a large Gundam statue outside DiverCity that moves on a schedule; and teamLab's digital art venue. The Rainbow Bridge is crossed by the Yurikamome, a driverless train that runs on an elevated loop with front seats over the track - the ride itself is one of the better things about coming.

What you actually see

• Surviving gun batteries - two 1850s earthworks kept as a park in the bay.
• The Yurikamome - a driverless elevated line with front seats over the track.
• A moving Gundam - a large statue outside DiverCity that articulates on a schedule.
• A Liberty replica - two-fifths scale, put up in 1998 and kept by popular demand.

When to go

All year; after dark for the bridge and skyline. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is a mall district and much of it is shopping. The beach is not for swimming - water quality prohibits it. Attractions come and go; several well-known venues have closed or relocated. Distances between sites are longer than the map suggests.

Nearby

Toyosu market is north; central Tokyo is over the Rainbow Bridge.