DAY 4 - ODAIBA

Our next day was centered on the manmade island of Odaiba, but first we fueled up with savory pastries at The Little Mermaid cafe

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The train stations in large cities often have automatic barriers to keep pedestrians safely away from the tracks. Those stations that don’t typically employ attendants who supervise the platforms.

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Our first stop was the Toyota City Showcase, a futuristic showroom that displays prototypes and the latest line of consumer vehicles. Here is a hydrogen-powered car concept.

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Ali found a tiny car! It’s a one-seater that “leans” into turns to maintain a safe center of gravity.

Ali shows off her driving skills in a hyper-realistic driving simulator.

Outside of the Toyota Showcase is Fort Venus, a shopping mall. Overlooking the main plaza, we envied the small children who were allowed to play in the floating pool balls and trampolines.

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One of the restaurants in Fort Venus displays plastic reproductions of its dishes, which is common practice in Japan. Ali and I both wish this practice would catch on in America, as it makes it very easy to know what you want at a glance (and makes it easier to try new menu items!)

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Our favorite shop in Fort Venus was a Ghibli store!

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We left the mall and walked to Ōedo-onsen, an indoor spa, food court, and entertainment center that’s themed like old Tokyo during a summer festival. There was not much for us to do, but we enjoyed a lunch together and appreciated the atmosphere. Our favorite part was a foot and calf massaging machine.

With about 90 minutes until closing time, we made a quick trip to the Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation. This globe is the centerpiece of the museum. At one point the images changed to display a time lapse of the continents shifting over eons.

We got to see a performance from ASIMO, a robot developed by Honda in 2000. It was famous in its time, and has gone on tour around the world. Here it’s speaking sign language to the lyrics of a song.

We found a curious model of how the human race is facing impending doom from a number of unseeable catastrophic events, such as carbon dioxide buildup, or solar radiation. I’m not convinced that the model conveys the dangers in a compelling way.

At the top of the museum we enjoyed a snack of sweet rice while overlooking a view of Odaiba.

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Another clue to Japan’s culture of social responsibility: In some places, towels and cleaner are available for customers to use to clean up their tables after they finish their meal.

Back at the hotel, we walked to a small ramen restaurant that offered a unique Indian-style dish. It had intense Indian flavors like coriander, but with traditional ramen ingredients. It was piping hot, spicy, and highly unique.