This article is based on a visit made on Sunday, 13 November 2016.
Edit 2 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
Fuji TV (フジテレビ,
Fuji Terebi) is one of the six major television networks in Japan. Their current headquarters is on the island of Odaiba in Tokyo Bay, and has various facilities for visitors. This building, the third headquarters occupied by Fuji TV, was built in 1996 and designed by the architect
Kenzo Tange (丹下 健三,
Tange Kenzō, 1913-2005), whose works also include
the Yoyogi National Gymnasium (1964) and the
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (1991). The orb on the top of the building is the "Hachitama" observatory, which we will be visiting shortly.
But before we get there, check out what I saw on the way there: a group of
Mario Kart-cosplay go-kart drivers. No, seriously, there are travel companies who plan actual go-karting excursions like these around Tokyo,
like this one for example.
This fountain stands in the plaza in front of the building. The mascot of Fuji TV is a blue dog named Laugh, and more information on him may be found here:
(English)
From ground level, we will go up this tubular escalator to a plaza on the 7th floor, the somewhat misleadingly-named "Rooftop Garden". It's true that it is on the roof of something, but there's still so much more building left to go from there!
It is from here where we will board the direct elevator for the observatory on the 25th floor. Tickets for this part are sold at ground level, before the escalator, and here on the 7th-floor plaza, right beside the elevator.
Or, you could just stay on the Rooftop Garden. There are many opportunities for striking architectural photos to be found here.
The elevator goes up from the Rooftop Garden on the 7th floor to the 25th floor. There is a brief hallway before we get into the main observation room, but there are a few windows for us to look out from here. This is a view of the Palette Town complex, home to the Venus Fort shopping mall, Toyota Megaweb car exhibition centre, and the Daikanransha ("Giant Sky Wheel") ferris wheel.
You may remember that I went there last time I was in town.
I also looked down to see this pedestrian overpass, which crosses over the
Bayshore Expressway (湾岸線,
Wangan-sen). This highway has several long, straight stretches, and as such, was a popular scene for illegal high-speed street races in the late 1980s and '90s. In fact, a manga and anime series about that scene,
Wangan Midnight, takes its name from that road. So it's a good thing we have this bridge for pedestrians to walk over!
The elevator leads us almost directly to the Hachitama Spherical Observation Room. This space is also used to promote new programmes airing on Fuji TV. For example, when I visited, they were promoting the show
Monster Hunter Stories, an anime spin-off of the video game franchise.
In the back of the room are wide windows looking out upon Tokyo Bay, back towards the mainland. A 270° viewing range is possible from this room. Rainbow Bridge is front and centre from this angle. It is even possible to see as far as Mount Fuji if weather conditions cooperate which, of course, they did not that day.
If we leave the observatory room and head down a floor, we'll also come across the colourful set of
Mezamashi TV (めざましテレビ,
Mezamashi Terebi), a morning talk show.
Autographs from many Japanese and international celebrities line the back wall. Some of the ones I recognised are the director James Cameron, the actress Charlize Theron, and the South Korean boy band Big Bang.
Back down on the "Rooftop Garden", your eye may be captured by a few statues of anime characters. These are strategically placed near gift shops dedicated to some of the many anime shows Fuji TV has broadcast, including
One Piece,
Dragonball, and more.
The
Dragonball store is watched over by a model of the celestial dragon Shen-long (or "Shenron" in Japanese rendering). Fearsome as it may appear, don't be scared! In the world of
Dragonball, Shen-long grants one wish to anyone who manages to collect all seven Dragon Balls. If this were real, what would you wish for...?
Right next to the gift shops, there was a small exhibition on the recent manga & anime series
Assassination Classroom. The yellow octopus-looking fellow standing to my right, in standee form, is Kuro-sensei. He is the junior-high homeroom teacher of the main characters, who continually plot to kill him. If you're interested,
Assassination Classroom is available for streaming on Funimation's website.
There are still other attractions of interest in the Fuji TV building, from yet more shops and restaurants to "Wonder Street", a free series of exhibits based on Fuji TV's various shows. I was unaware of it at the time, however. Of course, when you're in Odaiba, there's so much to do that some stuff will inevitably fall through the cracks. But, that's why you can always come again!
Hours: Open 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Admission ends 30 minutes before closing time. Closed from 29 December to 1 January.
Costs: ¥700.
Address: 2-4-4 Daiba, Minato-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒137-8088
Access: The Fuji TV building is 5 minutes from Daiba Station (Yurikamome line,
(U07)), or 5-10 minutes from Odaiba Kaihin-Koen (Yurikamome line,
(U06)) and Tokyo Teleport (Rinkai line,
(R04)) stations.
Directions: From Daiba Station, leave from the South exit and turn right. Continue for 150 metres (500 feet), crossing the next two roads, and the Fuji TV building will be on your right.
From Odaiba Kaihin-koen Station, leave from the South exit and turn left. Continue for 550 metres (1,800 feet), crossing the next road, and the Fuji TV building will be on your left.
From Tokyo Teleport Station, leave from Exit B and head straight. At the pedestrian overpass, cross the road and turn right. At the next intersection, turn left. The Fuji TV building will be on your left.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
