Odaiba’s Medieval Europe Faces Destruction

SNA Travel (Tokyo) — Those who explore the many shopping malls in Odaiba, the manmade island in Tokyo Bay across the majestic Rainbow Bridge, may happen upon a surprise–an indoor area constructed to resemble a medieval European city. It won’t be around for long, however, because it faces imminent closure.

VenusFort, located nearest to Aomi Station on the Yurikamome Line, is the venue for the unusual construction, with the second floor of the facility, called Venus Grand, serving as the ground floor for a mock European city.

It comes complete with an overhead sky, in addition to the southern European architecture, which changes color at different “times of day.” The effect is very similar to The Venetian, for anyone who has visited this casino hotel in Macau or Las Vegas.

VenusFort is operated by Mori Building, and it opened in its original form in August 1999.

However, news has emerged that VenusFort is soon to fall victim to redevelopment. A new commercial facility and sports arena has been earmarked for the land where VenusFort now stands.

While the exact nature of the new commercial facility is still under discussion, the sports arena is expected to become home to the Alvark Tokyo professional basketball team, backed by the Toyota Motor Corporation.

The current schedule calls for VenusFort to close on March 27, 2022.