Odaiba
Odaiba’s most famous citizen is undoubtably the giant Gundam robot. I believe it actually moves at certain times of the day. 1/25s 50mm F2.0 ISO 400.
Not long after I arrived in Japan, I had a tip-off about a good place to visit in Tokyo - Odaiba, an area of artificially created islands in the Northwest corner of Tokyo Bay. Amazingly the first were constructed over one hundred and seventy years ago during the Edo era and some have survived several powerful earthquakes, including the devastating Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. In the post war era however many changes were made, including removing some of the original islands and creating new ones that better fit the requirements of modern shipping. It’s also home to something many of you may be familiar with from social media, a giant Gundam robot.
Walking from Ginza gave me a chance to see more of the surrounding area. 1/320s 50mm F4.0 ISO 64.
The sun setting over a view that I’m more familiar with in London. I closed down the aperture to create the sunburst. 1/25s 50mm F14 ISO 64.
Instead of just getting the train straight there I started my walk from Ginza. Crossing over a series of bridges I got to see more of Koto City, the special ward which Odaiba is part of. This entire area is very different to the rest of Tokyo given that it sits on the waterfront. The best way I can describe it, is as Tokyo’s equivalent of Canary Wharf. Both areas were renovated around the same time in the 1990s and designed to be ultra-modern with lots of glitzy bars, bright lights and glass and steel buildings. But what really stands out is that you actually have the space to appreciate everything around you. Inside Tokyo is normally a very claustrophobic experience, as you are hemmed in on all sides by towering buildings that obstruct your view through the city. That’s not the case here, as you can often see miles in different directions, allowing you to take more in.
With much more open space you appreciate your surroundings better than inside the main city. 1/125s 50mm F2.8 ISO 400.
Looking across to Tokyo Tower once the tallest building building in Japan that has since been displaced by the newer Tokyo Skytree. 1/15s 50mm F2.8 ISO 400.
A panoramic shot of the waterfront from Odaiba with Rainbow Bridge on the lefthand side.1/10s 50mm F1.8 ISO 400 Three Photo Panoramic.
I’d timed my walk well, with first sunset and then nightfall to get the best possible lighting for my photos, the tall buildings giving me ample opportunities to create a sunburst shot. I also had my first good view of Tokyo Tower which lies on the other side of the water. It looks remarkably ordinary given how tall the other surrounding buildings are, but back when it was first built in 1958 it had no competition from skyscrapers and towered over its surroundings in a way that’s hard to fathom today. Have a look at photos from Tokyo in the 1960s and you’ll be shocked at how different the city was. Along the waterfront is also Rainbow Bridge, which lights up a night with different colours as you may expect from its name. There are however far fewer jumps and loop-de-loops than the Mario Kart version.
There is still industry in Odaiba as seen by the distribution centre. 1/15s 50mm F2.8 ISO 400.
Another famous building is the Fuji Broadcasting Building with its distinctive globe. Unfortunately it’s not very clear from the angle I saw it from. 1/13s 50mm F1.8 ISO 500.
The Grand Nikko Hotel is an option for wealthier visitors. 1/10s 50mm F1.8 ISO 400.
I didn’t walk across the Rainbow Bridge as I wanted to go to see the aforementioned Gundam statue, and it’s here that has the greatest concentration of people with a large shopping centre and good train connections to the rest of Tokyo. There were also plenty of fancy hotels like the Grand Nikko for well-off tourists and businessman alike. What really did surprise me though was the loud and raucous revving of engines and the screeching of tyres. Surely the local yakuza weren’t using the nearby roads for street races? As it turns out here is where you find the actual Tokyo Drift track. I couldn’t go inside, but like everyone else I could peak over the fence and get a good look at all the action. With only a 50mm lens I was restricted to what I could shoot but I was still pretty happy with what I got in a spur of the moment.
I think by now you get the picture, if you want an exciting day out in Tokyo, Odaiba has it all.
I was very surprised to stumble upon the real Tokyo Drift. Though it was hard to miss with how noisy all the cars were. 1/640s 50mm F2.2 ISO 2500.
I just loved how this shot came out with the lights cutting through the smoke. The noise from the high ISO gives the feeling of an old grainy film photo. 1/640s 50mm F2.2 ISO 5000.
The drivers will definitely need a new set of tyres after this session. 1/640s 50mm F2.2 ISO 5000.
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