Emerging as one of most popular tourist spots in Tokyo, the waterfront development area along Tokyo Bay attracted 3.31 million visitors during this year's summer holiday season, exceeding the number of people who visited Tokyo Disneyland in Chiba Prefecture.
According to an estimate released Sept. 3 by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the number of visitors from July 19 through Aug. 31 to the man-made island increased from 2.7 million last year. The number of visitors to Tokyo Disneyland in the same period was 2.614 million, according to operator Oriental Land Co. The waterfront area has unexpectedly drawn large crowds, in particularly young couples, despite the Tokyo government's original aim to make the area a futuristic business city.