Odaiba has regained its vitality
Palette Town
Odaiba is one of Tokyo's most popular tourist destinations. With a variety of commercial and leisure facilities, you can spend the whole day there enjoying shopping, gourmet food, entertainment, strolling in parks and beaches, and taking in the spectacular views of Rainbow Bridge.
Since it was announced that Tokyo would be included in the Go To Campaign, the demand for travel to Tokyo and surrounding prefectures has increased, especially on weekends and holidays, and the number of people visiting Odaiba has increased significantly. Here we will introduce the situation during the four-day weekend in September.
We visited Palette Town. The Palette Town Ferris Wheel, one of the world's largest at 115 meters high, is a symbol of Odaiba. There are a variety of commercial facilities, including the theme park-style shopping mall Venus Fort, Japan's largest live music venue Zepp Tokyo, mobility experience theme park MEGA WEB, and MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM: EPSON teamLab Borderless, where you can wander, explore, and discover in a world without boundaries. In addition, events are often held in the vast circular plaza in the center, Palette Plaza, and the area is bustling with people as it is colorful and fun-filled, as the name "Palette" suggests.
During the state of emergency in April, weekdays and holidays were quiet, but during the four-day weekend in September, all the facilities in Palette Town were bustling. There was a 30-minute wait for the Ferris wheel. There was a line, mostly of families. Of course, staff were calling out to people in line to keep a safe distance, and operations such as hand sanitizer and temperature checks were in place.
Palette Town Ferris Wheel
Palette Plaza
The indoor facility MEGA WEB was also bustling with activity. The information center had vinyl curtains to prevent droplets from spreading, and disinfectant was installed in various places within the facility. It feels like people are finally enjoying going out in this new lifestyle.
MEGA WEB
MEGA WEB
It was a fine day. Events were held at the plaza and at ARTBAY CAFE in front of Palette Town, and people were gathering in each area. Even though there were a lot of people, Odaiba is made up of vast lawns and wide sidewalks, so it was easy to find a space to avoid the 3 Cs, such as enjoying takeout lunch and sweets from a food truck under the blue sky.
Palette Town
Shibuya's new landmark, SHIBUYA SKY, is the best time to visit
Shibuya Scramble Square is a large-scale complex directly connected to and above Shibuya Station that opened in November 2019. The observation deck on the top floor, SHIBUYA SKY, was a Tokyo tourist hotspot that attracted attention from both within Japan and overseas in 2020, the year the Tokyo Olympics were scheduled to take place.
However, due to the effects of COVID-19, the facility was closed from April to May. It is currently open with a limited number of visitors. On the day of our visit, it was around 11am, and there were very few people waiting in line. According to the staff, the facility was about half the usual number of people. The number of people allowed in the elevator to the rooftop is also limited to about four or five at a time, and other traffic routes have also been designed to avoid crowding.
Because there is a limit on the number of people allowed in, you can enjoy the view from the rooftop observation deck with plenty of space. You can also enjoy the indoor souvenir shops and photo spots at your own pace without worrying about crowds.
The most attractive thing about "SHIBUYA SKY" is the night view. We visited during the day, but apparently more people visit at night than during the day. There are also events where you can enjoy the night view at your leisure, such as the limited-time rooftop bar "THE ROOF SHIBUYA SKY."
The number of visitors is expected to gradually increase in the future, but the number of people is still limited as part of infection prevention measures. If you make a reservation in advance, you can enjoy sightseeing in Shibuya at your leisure.
SHIBUYA SKY
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The current state of Asakusa, a world-renowned tourist destination
Asakusa is one of Japan's most famous tourist destinations. Like other tourist destinations around the world, Asakusa has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We spoke at the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, located directly opposite the symbol of Asakusa, Sensoji Temple's Kaminarimon Gate, about the recovery trend from the time of the state of emergency to the present.
The person who assisted us was Masuda Keisuke from the Asakusa Tourism and Culture Center.
This facility is a kind of visitor center or information center. It is a place where tourists can stop by in between sightseeing to find information on tourist spots and recommended gourmet food. You can also sign up for a guided tour by volunteers.
The observation deck on the 8th floor is a great vantage point overlooking Nakamise-dori. Although the weather was unfortunate on the day we visited, you can usually see the Skytree from here and it's free, making it a popular spot that ranks highly on TripAdvisor.
From the observation floor
The coronavirus shock amid the biggest excitement ever
"This facility was designed by the same architect, Kengo Kuma, who also designed the New National Stadium, and was renovated in 2012. In recent years, Asakusa has become a very popular tourist destination, and with the Tokyo Olympics coming up in 2020, this was the perfect time to visit."
With the whole town in a state of excitement, no one could have imagined something like this would happen.
"The number of tourists began to visibly decrease gradually from around the end of January. Then, in February and March, the number of foreign and Japanese tourists visiting Japan steadily decreased."
A state of emergency was then declared across Japan.
"We were closed from April 8 to June 1 to prevent the spread of infection. Of course there were no tourists, and all staff working in the tourism industry had disappeared from the town. Most of the shops in Nakamise were closed, and the rickshaw services were also out of business. We finally reopened. It feels like the number of people has really gradually increased through June, July, and August."
Thorough infection control measures are being taken to ensure that people who have returned to Asakusa can spend their time here safely and securely. To ensure social distancing, traffic flow is one-way inside the building, and temperature checks and hand sanitization are required at the entrance.
What we can do now is to promote Asakusa's appeal and increase the desire to visit the area.
The Taito Ward Tourism Division, which oversees the Asakusa Culture and Tourism Center, has been implementing various initiatives since the state of emergency was declared. Currently, they are running a social media posting campaign called "#TaitoLove." They are posting information about the city of Taito in general, including Asakusa, Ueno, and Yanesen, on Instagram and Twitter, and an Instagram summary account called #TaitoLove aggregates the accounts of shops and facilities in the ward.
"We are promoting safety and security by also publishing the specific infection prevention measures that each store and spot is taking. We think it is important now to promote the attractions of the local area and increase enthusiasm to visit once things have settled down. The Go To Campaign has also started, so we are doing everything we can and then waiting for tourists to return."
The walls of the museum are filled with reviews from visitors, and you can feel the love for Asakusa in each and every one of them.
Starting in October, Tokyo will also be included in the Go To campaign.
"I think this is true for all tourist destinations, but this four-day weekend (in September) was the best since the coronavirus outbreak. We were finally able to see a bustling Asakusa, but compared to the same period last year, the number of visitors was still around half. From now on, I would like to see more customers come little by little, while still preventing overcrowding."
A taxi driver talks about sightseeing in Tokyo during the COVID-19 pandemic
Nihon Kotsu is the largest taxi company in Tokyo, known for its "Sakura with N" logo. Mr. Suga has been a driver there for 11 years, and is also an expert tourist taxi driver selected from Nihon Kotsu after passing the qualifications and exams. Around March, when the new coronavirus began to rage, tourist taxis would normally be bustling with cherry blossom viewing tours. However, this year, 90% of the reservations were canceled.
In addition to basic infection prevention measures such as washing hands, gargling, and taking temperatures, drivers are also disinfecting their vehicles frequently.
"It was around that time that sales in the entire industry fell by more than half, and at its worst it was down by about 70%. Even in normal taxi business, we were getting an average of 25 to 30 trips a day, but that number dropped by half to less than 14 trips, and we couldn't make a living."
In the midst of this situation, a state of emergency was declared, and Tokyo became even more deserted. Within Nihon Kotsu, sales did not change in areas such as kids taxis for picking up and dropping off children, and support taxis for nursing care, because they avoided crowds. On the other hand, the demand for the tourist taxis that Suga works for dropped to zero, and Suga said he was forced to take a break for two months.
"Even after the state of emergency was lifted in June, not only tourist taxis but also restaurants were open until 10 p.m., so there were hardly any people in the city at night. However, since then, more people have started going to work, so the need for taxi drivers has increased and we have been able to make a normal amount of money during the day. So some of us changed our working hours to focus on the daytime."
Some tourist taxis have a panoramic roof that allows you to enjoy the view outside.
A few months have passed since then, and the city of Tokyo is gradually returning to normal, with the shortened business hours of restaurants in the city being lifted and the "Go To Campaign" now including Tokyo destinations. With signs of autumn in the air, this is a time when the demand for tourist taxis increases, which is usually a festive season with autumn leaves and illuminations.
"The situation for tourist taxis hasn't changed much since the spring, and it's unfortunate that we haven't received many applications. On the other hand, restaurants have returned to normal business, and regular business is settling down to about the same as before. The air inside a taxi is replaced every minute, even with the air conditioning on, so it has a higher ventilation capacity than other modes of transportation such as trains. Plus, it's door-to-door, so I hope that people will learn more about how to use taxis, especially at a time like this."
As Suga says, tourist taxis avoid the 3 Cs and can be arranged as you like, so in a sense they are a suitable means of transportation in the new normal era. Furthermore, when it comes to sightseeing, taxis allow for detailed travel and arrangements that are unique to taxis, making them the perfect vehicle for the smallest units, such as family and friends. Getting around the city in a different way than before may change the way you see the city of Tokyo.
Tokyo's tourist spots are gradually seeing an increase in visitors. As it is a city that is naturally very crowded, I got the impression that various places are taking thorough measures to ensure a safe stay, such as avoiding the 3 Cs and taking measures to prevent infection. More and more places now require reservations in advance, so if you check the opening hours and admission methods on their websites before planning your trip, you will be able to enjoy sightseeing in Tokyo smoothly and at your leisure.
Tokyo is finally eligible for the Go To Travel campaign, but the number of tourists is still low. Why not consider sightseeing in Tokyo as one of your options for the autumn tourist season, and also support Tokyo as a tourist destination?
*Some content was updated on October 2, 2020.
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The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
