A fountain show at Tokyo Aqua Symphony at Odaiba Marine Park has opened to the public. The name reflects the concept of harmony between Tokyo’s waterfront scenery and the fountain’s choreography, music, and LED lighting technology, which combine to create a choreographed performance that synchronises movement, light and sound.
Tokyo is promoting this grand-scale fountain show as an attractive tourist attraction in the hopes of turning it into an unconventional and popular landmark along the waterfront area and attracting 30 million visitors a year.
The Tokyo Aqua Symphony is set up 170 meters out at sea from Odaiba Marine Park, which is also nearby to a small replica of the Statue of Liberty. The fountain’s jets gushes up a maximum height of 150 metres and spanning a width of 250 metres to form a design inspired by ‘somei yoshino’, the cherry blossom that is the official flower of Tokyo. The waterside spectacle is held for 10 minutes 10 times daily from 11 am to 9 pm and is free for the public.
For safety reasons, the aquatic display on windy days will be adjusted to prevent its gushing water from reaching the shore and spraying water on visitors. The show may be cancelled due to inclement weather so visitors are advised to check the schedule on the website before visiting.
Comparison with The Dubai Fountain
The Tokyo show has drawn comparison in size to its counterpart in the United Arab Emirates, which is labelled as the “world’s biggest.”
The Dubai Fountain, located on Burj Lake at the base of the Burj Khalifa, is the world’s largest choreographed fountain system, featuring water jets reaching up to 900 feet. The free show features nightly performances every 30 minutes except Fridays. As of early March 2026, the Dubai Fountain was still operating amid the Iran war, with reports indicating it continues to run and provide a sense of normalcy in the region, though the shows may be disrupted due to the current situation.
Cost implications and economic benefits
It was reported that the overall cost to put the Tokyo Aqua Symphony fountain in place totalled 2.64 billion yen (about $16.5 million). Yearly operating expenditures are projected to be 200 million yen (about US$1.2 million).
Tokyo officials estimate that the fountain will generate an overall annual economic impact of 9.8 billion yen (about US$62.3 million) as a result of increased visitor numbers and consumption as well as improved foot traffic in the neighborhood.
This latest move in Tokyo aligns with a recent global trend among major cities in both Japan and abroad to step up measures toward luring in more international travellers.
You can watch the video here
Photo credit: Tokyo Aqua Symphony
