We decided a simple way to do that was take the Tokyo cruise down the Sumida River. Apparently it's not big with tourists, as we were the only non-Japanese on the boat. We took the Asakusa - Odaiba direct line, which is on a really cool boat, the Himiko. I call it the bubble boat. Great views through the wrap-around windows, and keeps you warm on a chilly day. The cruise goes under something like 14 bridges, all of which are painted and pretty on the underside (a blue bridge has a blue underside, and so forth - and the bridges are various colours and styles). The sides of the river are lined with dense buildings all the way, some obviously residential while others are business towers or warehouses. There was a running commentary about the bridges and buildings, but unfortunately it was totally in Japanese, so Dave and I didn't learn much. It was obviously somewhat comic, as it was done in three voices - man, woman, and child - and I'm pretty sure the child was comic relief.Odaiba Seaside Park is a huge shopping and entertainment district on a man -made island in Tokyo Bay. It includes a large sand beach (Tokyo Beach) - swimming is prohibited, but there were people both kayaking and paddle-boarding out on the water. I'm sure the beach is filled with sun worshipers in the summer. The waterfront boasts a Statue of Liberty, which was originally a temporary installation for the French Year of Japan 1998, but was so popular it has been back permanently since 2000. There are also lots of large shopping malls - and the DiverCity plaza has a 60 ft. "life-sized" Gundam statue outside. The island is connected to downtown by the Rainbow Bridge which is illuminated in multi-colours every night using solar power stored during the day.
We had fun wandering around for a few hours. We boated back again to Asakusa and went for a cheap ramen noodle supper across the street from our hotel.
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Libby likes the statue of Gundam. She thinks she recognizes him from Digimon Fusion.
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