Page 86 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Tokyo

84  T OK Y O AREA B Y AREA
A 90-Minute Walk in Odaiba designer boutiques such as
Jean Paul Gaultier and Vanessa
The post-modernist buildings, art installations, and shopping Bruno. Windows have been
malls that constitute Odaiba (see p77) seem to hail from eliminated for the sake of
another world. Odaiba’s sheer audacity, its flam boyant striking optical illusions,
marriage of design, technology, commer cialism, and fun, including an artificial overhead
epito mizes Japan’s fascination with blending high kitsch sky that permanently re­creates
the ambience of twilight. Soak
into a concoction that is both refined and brashly artificial. in the scenery, then enjoy a
In this pleasure quarter for the city savvy, a walk through snack at the Gardener’s Café,
this island comes with restaurant and café stops to recover which specializes in organic
from the sheer over-stimulation. foods sourced from Hokkaido.

DAI-SAN DAIBA SHUTO EXPRESSWAY NO 11 DAIBA LINE
HISTORICAL PARK Kokusai-tenjijo
Ariake
ODAIBA
KAIHIN
PARK
Key EAST PROMENADE
Odaiba Seaside SHUTO EXPRESSWAY WANGAN LINE
Park Station
Kokusai-
Walk route tenjijo-seimon
1 The futuristic Tokyo Big Sight building, a remarkable piece of architecture Odaiba-kaihin-
kōen
Start the walk at Tokyo Big Sight Starlight 2, comes into view Tokyo Big Sight
1, which is accessed by over­ on the right. The views from Tokyo- Station
teleport
head walk ways from Kokusai­ the top are worth the dizzy Daiba
Tenjijo Station, or by climbing sensation some passengers may CENTRAL PROMENADE
the steps from the Suijo water experience as they rise above
bus, Tokyo Big Sight Station. the picturesque bay. Also in the SHIOKAZE Aomi
One of Tokyo’s prominent Palette Town development, PARK
architec tural marvels, Tokyo Big Mega Web 3, a state­of­the­art 0 meters 400 Palette Town
Sight combines a convention automobile showroom, is run 0 yards 400 Station
center, exhibition halls, cafés, by Toyota. Look out for Toyota Fune-no- WEST PROMENADE
and restaurants in a pyramidal City Showcase, with a driving kagakukan
structure that appears to be simulator, test­drive area, and
upside down. Large atriums a History Garage Museum.
and an eighth­floor obser vation Cross to the next block of
gallery provide superb views of Palette Town and enter the
the Tokyo waterfront develop­ unreal world of the Renaissance­ Walk to the rear of Palette
ment and the bay. themed shopping mall Venus Town, turn left and move Telecom-
Return to the elevated Fort 4, a complex of retail along the Central Promenade, center
tracks of the Yurikamome Line, shops and cafés lined with until you reach the 88­ft
following them in the direction (27­m) high statue of Flame
of Aomi Station and the Palette of Freedom in the form of a
Town complex. The gigantic golden needle, the work of
ferris wheel, the Stream of modern sculptor Marc Coutelier.
Turn left here and walk along
Tips for Walkers the West Promenade until the
Miraikan 5, the National
Starting point: Kokusai­Tenjijo­ Museum of Emerging Science
Seimon Station on the and Innovation, appears on
Yurikamome Line. the right. This museum is
Length: 1 mile (2 km). dedicated to displays of
Stopping-off points: Japanese high­tech designs,
Recuperate at a table with a and one of its most popular
view of the goings on at Venus attractions is the diminutive
Fort at Thé Chinois Madu. Daiba running robot Asimo.
Little Hong Kong typifies the
island’s ersatz fun, and the food Experimental kits, robots,
is good. 4 The opulent interiors of Venus Fort and interesting space goods
shopping mall are on sale at the gift shop.

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