After some difficulty in locating the monorail platform in Shimbashi station (due to some uncharacteristically poor signage or perhaps some characteristically poor vision on my part), I eventually board the train for futuristic Odaiba in Tokyo Bay. The island hosts some impressive and innovative architecture, including the Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Big Sight, the Fuji TV building and the ship-shaped Museum of Maritime Science (normally open on Mondays, just not on this particular one). Not so innovative is the replica of the Statue of Liberty and Japan's take on the Eiffel Tower - the red Tokyo Tower near Roppongi (back across the bay but visible from the Rainbow Bridge).
The island development is made of up of several malls and I can imagine spending a lazy sunny day here. As it is, the place is largely deserted and though I find a nice microbrewery with a fantastic view across the bay, the compulsory buffet of pizza and pasta puts me off. I’m not quite ready to eschew Japanese cuisine in favour of more everyday stuff and – more to the point – I’m not even hungry. As I make my way towards the Rainbow Bridge, ready for the 40 minute stroll across it and the promised magnificent views across the bay, I perceive a lack of activity in the ticket booths and get a premonition that the theme of “closed on Mondays” is about to unleash its third strike. Lo and behold, the pedestrian promenade is closed today only; it’s time for a drink.
The island development is made of up of several malls and I can imagine spending a lazy sunny day here. As it is, the place is largely deserted and though I find a nice microbrewery with a fantastic view across the bay, the compulsory buffet of pizza and pasta puts me off. I’m not quite ready to eschew Japanese cuisine in favour of more everyday stuff and – more to the point – I’m not even hungry. As I make my way towards the Rainbow Bridge, ready for the 40 minute stroll across it and the promised magnificent views across the bay, I perceive a lack of activity in the ticket booths and get a premonition that the theme of “closed on Mondays” is about to unleash its third strike. Lo and behold, the pedestrian promenade is closed today only; it’s time for a drink.
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