The Rainbow Bridge connecting Odaiba to the rest of Tokyo, has a toll expressway on the top,a toll free road one level below and a railway route for the Yurikamome Line to pass through. But, that’s not all Rainbow Bridge also has a walkway on either side of the bridge too !!! You can cross over from from Shibaura side to the Odaiba side and back on foot alone!!!! Having stayed in Tokyo for well over 15 years, it was only last year that I discovered the Rainbow Promenade walkway alongside the traffic lanes on the bridge and the view of the seafront is truly breathtaking. A photo story below.
Get off at the Shibaura Station on Yurikamome Line and walk towards the Rainbow Bridge. The Rainbow Promenade is on the left hand side of the road. Please note that the promenade is closed on every third Monday of the month. If that Monday is a national holiday, the walkway will still be open and you’ll find it closed the next weekday instead.There are two routes Northern route and Southern route which can be taken to walk on the bridge. The north route entices with a view of the Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Tower, while the south side walkway gives an awesome view of the looped road off Shibaura and the waterfront of Odaiba Decks and the Fuji TV building. I couldn’t really make up our mind, so as a family we finally decided to walk from Shibaura to Odaiba on the north side and taking the south route on our return, covering both. The walk across the bridge is only about 800 meters with no way to cross in between. Taking the elevator to seventh floor and starting the walk, the first thing we realized was that it was quite windy there at the top. Hold on to your belongings, as they could easily be blown away. There are also no toilets in between so …Some awesome views on the northern side includes the awesome circular portion of the approach road toawards the Rainbow Bridge. The cute Yurikamome Line passes over the bridge offering some stunning photography spots.The best time of the day to walk on the bridge is the twilight time on a clear day, when visibility is excellent. However, even on a cloudy day, if long distance visibility is limited, you still get great views of the action of the cruise and cargo ships passing underneath. Cruise ships also pass frequently below the bridge.
The supposedly “haunted” gardens, Third Daiba can be seen from the Rainbow Bridge with the Fuji Television building in the background. In summer times, greeeeen as it can be..The Skytree view from the southern side of the bridge. Interestingly, the walkway is getting noticed now by the photography community for being a spot from where Tokyo Tower and Skytree appear to be nearly of the same height.Beautiful scenery from atop the bridge with a lot of action in the water below.The night time scenery of the circular portion of the Rainbow Bridge with the Shinagawa side int he background. These days I have seen that tourists book the high rise buildings in the Shinagawa background through apps like AirBnB where panoramic views of the Rainbow Bridge seem to be high in the demand.On the other end at the start point of the Odaiba side of the Bridge, you can catch this beautiful view of Rainbow Bridge, tht Tokyo Tower and the ships passing in the waters.The exit side of Rainbow Bridge on the Odaiba side. The ferris wheel can be seen at the back. Do not attempt the walk in winters when it is excrucitingly cold on the bridge with amazingly windy days too prohibitive to enjoy the walk.Getting off the bridge the night time illumination of the Rainbow Bridge. You can also take your bicycle on the bridge, although you cannot ride it and will be strapped with a wooden setup disabling one from mounting on the cycle.
Note that there is an option of “walk” on the Rainbow Bridge…. and you should try it once. Even Japanese local residents of Tokyo are sometimes surprised to know that you can actually walk on the bridge.
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