Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. It is home to the No. 3 Battery Park (“Dai-San Daiba”), numerous shopping malls, a ferris wheel, a beach (no swimming allowed though…), the Fuji TV building (photo above) and the Miraikan museum, as well as hotels, offices and residential towers. Part of the island is used as a port for cargo ship operations.
After returning from Mount Tsukuba, I took some time to stroll around Tsukuba before getting back to Tokyo. The city is known for the so-called Tsukuba Science City and its large number of world-class research institutes, including the University of Tsukuba, the High-Energy Accelerator Lab (KEK), the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and the Geographic Information Authority. It was also host to the Expo'85 World’s Fair and still retains some landmarks built for the occasion.
Last week, I went on a hike to Mount Tsukuba (筑波山), in the city of Tsukuba (Ibaraki Prefecture), north-east of Tokyo.
I attended a matsuri (Japanese festival) at the Nezu Shrine last week-end. It featured stalls with greasy food and games for children but the main event was the presentation of the mikoshi, a portable shinto shrine that looks like a miniature building.
Last Friday, I went to the western area of Tokyo known as Hachioji and hiked up Mount Takao (599m). From the summit, I followed a trail for a bit and, at the end of the day, found myself near Lake Sagami.
I went to Nikko (Tochigi Prefecture) last Wednesday. It is a mountainous area not far from Tokyo (~2h from Asakusa station). It is especially known for its historical sites (shrines, temples) but, since I had already visited those before, I instead went hiking in the Oku-Nikko area (奥日光).
The Tokyo Imperial Palace is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in Chiyoda City and close to Tokyo Station. The actual residence cannot be visited but the site houses the Imperial Palace East Gardens and other interesting spots.
Nishi-Shinjuku (literally West-Shinjuku) is a skyscraper business district west of the Shinjuku train station, in Tokyo.
Ryogoku is a neighbourhood of Sumida City in Tokyo. It is considered the center of the professional sumo world, with the Kokugikan sumo arena and numerous sumo stables located in the area. Other places of interest include the Edo-Tokyo museum (photo above) and Yokoamicho Park.
The Rainbow Bridge is a 798-meter long bridge crossing Tokyo Bay between Shibaura and Odaiba. It is accessible to pedestrians and can be used to cross the Bay on foot, all the way to Odaiba.