Odaiba sights and unsightly display of bad tourism – that’s us..
Well, it is “Tourist in Japan” for a reason.. I don’t think anyone reading this will be able to ID us at the time of this (unless we were that rowdy and etc) but well, a bit loud and such we were.
Ah well, I think I am blowing it out of proportion. My group is rowdy, but not exaggerated-levels of rowdy.
We were originally looking to visit a fleamarket, but some misreading of information meant we.. came on the wrong day. There was no fleamarket. Next to it was a horse racetrack, appealing to the Uma Musume fans within our group, but it was a Sunday, so no racing. Oops.
I must say, Japan’s automotive scene is so interesting compared to my local counterpart that there is almost always something of interest to look at at each corner. From the Crown Athlete taxis, to Daihatsu Copens tooting by, the taste of the drivers here are eclectic and spirited.
The rest of your group is busy figuring out a contingency plan? Leave them and sit on the side of the road to spot whatever comes by..
Eventually we opted to walk a bit to another metro to get off at a station called “Tokyo Teleport” – much time to save if teleportation were real..
Anyways, the station is at Odaiba, and incidentally has a few shopping malls around it. Eventually, we were next to Odaiba Beach and the adjacent malls.
The view is, well, pretty good; better than most of what Singapore can offer (space issue more than anything) and fresh air – laced with mint – thanks in no part to the cold.
Overviewing the stretch between the beach and malls is a walkable bridge, fully displaying the road beneath it. I have almost no knowledge of the car-spotting places in Japan, but..
Well, I think I’ve used up a huge chunk of my luck today. Peek that black sports car on the left.
Tesla Roadster. Based on a Lotus Elise chassis and the first Tesla car to enter the market and make journalists fawn over electric vehicles, this battery-powered roadster is VERY scarcely produced, hearsay around 2,450 units were produced throughout its production span from 2008 to 2012. They are almost a myth and yet, far away in the distance..
And the car bearing the Roadster’s fruits of labor, a BYD Seal. Uhh, who in Japan, who has access to Alfa Romeo, BMW, Mitsuoka, Toyota, Honda, Audi, so many more.. a BYD? Really? Well, I shouldn’t judge, should I?
While I sit and wonder about that debacle, there was some distant revving in the far distance. As seen in the photos, the Rainbow Bridge is very near and part of the scenery of Odaiba. Its well-known as one of C1 expressway’s iconic landmarks and its presence in racing games; someone was having their fill up there.
Snapping out of my brain fog, flashy cars start lining up after the distant corner.
I’ll write a separate post for this supercar convoy, because calling them as such is doing a disservice. For now, I will focus on this writeup..
I’m no foodist, but meals here are very pleasant. I owe my thanks to Seanan for recommending this place. For disclosure, my portion of the meal tallied to ¥2,000.
Food later, some more spotting along the same stretch. I eventually got a bit bored of that and went to stroll with the rest of the group – wherever they were – and explore the beach. Indeed, its rather nice.
At this time of winter transitioning to spring, cherry blossoms are perhaps around a month later for most of the normal breeds to bloom. There are some that bloom early, though not common to find. Odaiba just so happens to have some that were blooming on this day.
Blooming also is the traffic, much more frequently than the yearly basis of cherry blossoms. Possibly a straight-piped Toyota Mark II and a RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF (RWB)-customized Porsche 911 Carrera cabriolet.
The Mark II was deafeningly loud, the 911 visibly so. From a single (defunct) post, this RWB car possibly has the name “SPEAMINT RHINO”. What I do know is the arches are incredibly wide – a valid reaction to see one for the first time.
Car-spotting aside, Odaiba has lots to offer, honestly speaking. Several shopping malls within walking distance with an overview of the an expressway (although mostly blocked), the malls provide a good combination of necessities, branded goods, food and attractions (varies mall to mall) and the beach. Its a very nice all-in-one.
Rest of the gallery will be equally interesting car-spots.
~Efini
Gallery:
Read more: Tourist in Japan: Akihabara spotting
