We took the train and then monorail out to Odaiba, which is in Tokyo Bay, to meet them. There is so much to do out here, but honestly, the monorail ride out was even an experience in itself. The train is completely automatic, which means the seats at the front look straight out the window and it feels like you are driving the train yourself. We were lucky that the seats were empty and the girls got to sit there for our trip out.
It was a gorgeous day and being able to see Tokyo behind us as we headed out over the water to Odaiba was pretty cool.
Team Lab would be one of the current go to places in Tokyo. It's a hands on art installation, and there are actually a few around - two in Tokyo and more opened up in Kyoto this year too. Tickets can be tricky to get unless you book in advance, which is what we did. It was busy, but actually didn't feel overly crowded. In comparison to Kyoto last year when we were pressed on every side as we moved with the surge of people around the gardens at Kinkaku-ji, this was surprisingly spacious.
My favourite room was probably the orchids, which were hanging on very fine fishing line/wire in the air. As you moved closer, they were raised into the air so you could explore further in. The plants would then lower behind you as you moved through, so you ended up being surrounded by the most stunning flowers. The fragrance in the room was amazing too.
There was a water exhibit where we had to take our shoes off, and loads of light/projection parts too.
Some of the exhibits we just moved through quickly, while others we hung around for a while. Was definitely worth the visit though, and great to do with our Aussie friends.
After our Team Lab experience, we walked to a local family restaurant that would fit all nine of our group with a variety of food options for everyone to choose from. Saizeria is not Japanese food, but it is a bit of a Japanese experience, and certainly an easy option if you've got a lot of hungry kids and you don't want to spend lots of money.
Our friends had tickets to the baseball that afternoon, so we got them to their train and said goodbye.
Since we'd come out to Odaiba, we figured we'd try to do some more out there before we headed home for the evening. Our plan was the Miraikan, which is the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Japan.
The weather was hot, so being in a cool museum was a good way to spend some hours. I had a huge migraine come on and found it harder to enjoy, but seeing the talking robots was delightful. They even had some dog shaped ones who barked and interacted when they were stroked like real dogs. Slightly freaky!
There was a big emphasis on the environment, climate change and managing our resources, which was also good to see. I will say that there wasn't a lot of English support though, so without Steve's science know-how it would have been much less interesting.
We also got to walk through a replica of the International Space Station which was possibly the highlight of the day. Then we took the train back across the bay and home again. I would have liked to spend more time out in Odaiba since there is so much to do out there, but we seem to have run out of Tokyo time to fit it in. Oh well. Guess I'll have to come back another time.
