What teamLab is
teamLab is an art collective of artists, programmers, engineers and architects. Its works are not videos on a loop: they are drawn in real time by computer programs and change with the movement of visitors, so the room you see will never look exactly the same again.
teamLab Planets opened in Toyosu in July 2018 and is currently scheduled to run until the end of 2027. teamLab Borderless first opened in Odaiba in 2018, closed there in 2022 and reopened in February 2024 in a new, permanent home at Azabudai Hills, a short walk from Tokyo Tower. They are very different visits, and many people do both on separate days.
Planets or Borderless: what you will see
Planets is a set route you walk barefoot. Early on you climb a slope against running water, then wade into a dark room where koi swim across water up to knee height and burst into flowers when they touch you. Other rooms hold a crystal forest of hanging lights, a dome of falling flowers where you can lie down, and floors that sink softly under your weight. The Garden area adds a room of floating orchids and an outdoor moss garden with egg-shaped forms that glow after sunset.
Borderless has no map and no fixed route. Works move out of their rooms and mix with others, so you wander dark corridors and find something different each time. Long-running favourites include the Light Sculpture rooms, Bubble Universe (a room filled with glowing spheres) and Future Park, where children colour a fish on paper and watch it swim across a digital ocean. EN Tea House serves tea in which flowers bloom inside the bowl, and a special exhibition space shows newer works.
In short: Planets is more physical and takes about an hour and a half to two hours. Borderless is bigger and rewards slow exploring, so plan two to three hours.
- Planets is the easier pick for a first visit or a tight schedule; Borderless suits people who like to explore.
- At Borderless, if a room looks empty, wait a minute. Works travel in and out.
The year at teamLab
Both museums are open almost every day of the year, with occasional closed days posted on the official sites, and the works shift through the seasons. At Planets, the flowers in the koi room and the falling flower dome change with the time of year, and the moss garden looks different by day and after dark. Borderless adds new pieces and runs special exhibitions within the museum.
teamLab also stages temporary shows and collaborations, and the ones in and around Tokyo appear in the list below when they are announced. Because both museums are indoors, they fill up on rainy days, and they are busiest during school holidays, Golden Week in early May, the summer holidays and the New Year break.
Tickets, what to wear and timing
Both museums sell timed tickets online, with prices that change by date and time. Planets does not sell tickets at the door, so buy before you go. Borderless sells same-day tickets online while they last and on site at a slightly higher price, and also offers a pricier pass with no fixed entry time. The time on your ticket is when you join the entry queue, not a limit on how long you stay. Tickets bought on the official sites can usually be moved to another slot a few times, up to two hours before entry, but not refunded, and neither museum allows re-entry.
For Planets, wear trousers you can roll above the knee or shorts; free shorts are lent inside. Some floors are mirrored, so skirts are not ideal, though wraps are available. You leave shoes, socks and bags in free lockers. At Borderless, wear comfortable shoes and expect dark rooms. Food is not allowed inside, not even sweets, though drinks are fine.
The first slots of the morning and the last ones in the evening are usually the calmest. Weekend afternoons are the most crowded, and you may queue to enter even with a ticket.
- Planets asks children under 13 to come with an adult, one adult for every three children. Borderless asks one adult for every five.
- Strollers stay outside at Planets; a front baby carrier is fine.
- Tripods and selfie sticks over 30 cm and flash are not allowed in either museum.
Getting there and nearby
teamLab Planets is a one-minute walk from Shin-Toyosu Station on the Yurikamome Line, five minutes from Shijo-mae, and about ten minutes from Toyosu Station on the Yurakucho Line. Toyosu Market, home of the tuna auction, is next door, with the Senkyaku Banrai food hall beside it, and Odaiba is a short ride away on the Yurikamome.
teamLab Borderless is in the basement of Garden Plaza B at Azabudai Hills, a two-minute walk from Exit 5 of Kamiyacho Station on the Hibiya Line, or about six minutes from Roppongi-itchome on the Namboku Line through an underground passage. Tokyo Tower is a short walk away, and Roppongi's museums and night views are close.
