teamLab is a Tokyo-based art collective whose immersive digital installations have become one of the city’s most sought-after experiences. The art collective creates rooms where projected light, water, mirrors, and sound respond to your presence — flowers bloom where you stand and scatter when you touch them, koi fish swim around your legs and burst into flowers on contact, infinite fields of suspended lights stretch into mirrored darkness. The result is genuinely unlike a conventional museum: there are no paintings on walls, no benches, no “viewing.” You walk into the art and become part of it.

Tokyo has two separate teamLab museums, and visitors are frequently confused about the difference. This guide explains how they differ, which to choose, and how to have the best possible visit at either.

🗓️ Quick Reference

teamLab Planets teamLab Borderless
Location Toyosu (Koto-ku) Azabudai Hills (Minato-ku)
Concept Walk barefoot through water & nature Wander a borderless light labyrinth
Size Larger rooms, ~7 main spaces 50+ interconnected works, no map
Get feet wet? Yes — knee-deep water rooms No (mostly dry)
Typical duration 90–120 min 2.5–4 hours
Entry fee ~¥3,800 adult ~¥3,800–4,800 adult
Nearest station Shin-Toyosu (Yurikamome) Kamiyacho / Roppongi-itchome
Booking Advance, timed-entry Advance, timed-entry

Prices and details change — always check the official teamLab websites for current ticketing.

The Key Difference, Explained

teamLab Planets (Toyosu) — The Sensory, Barefoot One

Planets is the more physical and structured experience. You remove your shoes at the entrance and walk barefoot through the entire museum, including rooms with knee-deep water. The journey is semi-linear — you move through a sequence of distinct large-scale environments:

  • A room where you wade through water filled with projected koi that turn into flowers when they touch you
  • A vast space of hanging orchids that lower and raise around you
  • An “Infinite Crystal Universe” of suspended LED lights stretching into mirrored infinity
  • A sphere room of giant illuminated balls that change colour
  • An immersive dome where you lie back and watch projections overhead

Because you’re barefoot and sometimes in water, Planets is the more bodily, sensory experience — the temperature of the water, the texture of surfaces underfoot, the feeling of moving through space are all part of it. It’s generally considered more accessible for first-timers and slightly more structured/easy to navigate.

teamLab Borderless (Azabudai) — The Labyrinth

Borderless (reopened in 2024 at Azabudai Hills after the original Odaiba location closed) is built on a different concept: there is no map and no fixed route. The artworks move between rooms, flow into one another, and have no borders — hence the name. You wander freely through a 10,000 m² maze of continuously evolving light environments, and the artworks literally migrate from space to space, so no two visits are the same.

This makes Borderless more exploratory and disorienting (in an intended way). You can easily spend 3+ hours and still not be sure you’ve seen everything. Highlights include:

  • The “Forest of Lamps” — a mirrored room of hanging Murano-style glass lamps that light in sequence
  • Flower installations that bloom and die across the walls in real time
  • The “Bubble Universe” sphere room
  • En Tea House, where a flower blooms inside your actual cup of tea as you drink

Borderless is mostly dry (you keep your shoes on, though some areas have specific requirements). It rewards visitors who like to get lost and discover, rather than follow a path.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose teamLab Planets if you:

  • Want a more structured, easier-to-navigate experience
  • Are visiting with children (the water and sensory rooms delight kids)
  • Don’t mind getting your feet/legs wet
  • Have limited time (90–120 min is enough)
  • Want the iconic “koi fish in water” and “infinite crystal” rooms

Choose teamLab Borderless if you:

  • Prefer to explore freely and get lost
  • Want the larger, more complex experience
  • Have 3+ hours
  • Prefer to keep your shoes on / stay dry
  • Want the famous “Forest of Lamps” and tea house

Doing both? They’re genuinely different enough that art-lovers often visit both. If you do, space them across different days — each is intense, and back-to-back can be overwhelming.

What to Wear (Important for Planets)

Because teamLab Planets has knee-deep water, clothing matters:

  • Wear or bring shorts, or trousers you can roll above the knee. The museum provides knee-length shorts for rent/loan if your clothes can’t be rolled up, but bringing your own is easier.
  • Avoid long flowing skirts or wide-leg trousers that drag in water.
  • You’ll go barefoot — there are facilities to wash and dry your feet afterward.
  • Skirts/dresses note: Several rooms have mirrored floors. The museum provides wraps or advises against short skirts for this reason. Check signage and consider trousers or shorts.
  • Lockers are provided for shoes, socks, and bags.

For Borderless, regular clothing and shoes are fine, though comfortable footwear helps for hours of walking, and the same mirrored-floor caution about short skirts applies in certain rooms.

Booking Tickets

Both museums use advance, timed-entry tickets and regularly sell out, especially on weekends, holidays, and during peak tourist seasons (cherry blossom, autumn, Golden Week).

  • Book online in advance via the official teamLab websites or authorised resellers (Klook, GetYourGuide also sell them).
  • Select a specific date and entry time slot.
  • Book several days to weeks ahead for weekend/holiday visits. Weekday slots are easier but still book up.
  • Entry is for your time slot; once inside, you can usually stay as long as you like until closing.

Tip: The earliest morning slot and the last evening slots tend to be slightly less crowded than midday.

Best Times to Visit (Crowd Strategy)

Both museums are at their best with fewer people — crowds disrupt the immersive illusion and make photography difficult.

  • Weekday mornings (first slot): The least crowded option. The rooms feel genuinely magical when nearly empty.
  • Weekday evenings (last slots): Also good; some find the after-dark exit into the city a nice transition.
  • Avoid weekend midday, public holidays, and the cherry blossom / autumn peak weekends if you possibly can.

Photography Tips

The installations are designed to be photographed, and phones handle them surprisingly well — but a few tips dramatically improve results:

  • Turn off flash entirely. Flash destroys the projected-light effect and annoys other visitors.
  • Use night mode on modern phones for the dark mirrored rooms (Crystal Universe, Forest of Lamps).
  • Wait for a gap in the crowd. In popular rooms, hover at the edge and wait for people to clear for a few seconds.
  • Mirrored floors create infinity reflections — but also reflect upward, so be mindful of clothing.
  • Wet rooms (Planets): Use a wrist strap or secure grip — dropping a phone in the koi water room is a real risk.
  • Take video, not just stills. Much of teamLab’s art is in motion — blooming flowers, flowing light, scattering koi. Still photos miss what makes it special.

Getting There

teamLab Planets (Toyosu)

  • Shin-Toyosu Station (Yurikamome Line) — 1 min walk
  • Toyosu Station (Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line) — ~10 min walk
  • Combine with: Toyosu Market (the fish market that replaced Tsukiji), Odaiba (one stop further on the Yurikamome)

teamLab Borderless (Azabudai Hills)

  • Kamiyacho Station (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line) — direct access via Azabudai Hills
  • Roppongi-itchome Station (Tokyo Metro Namboku Line) — ~5 min walk
  • Azabu-juban Station (Oedo/Namboku Lines) — ~10 min walk
  • Combine with: Azabudai Hills complex (shops, restaurants, observation areas), Tokyo Tower (nearby), Roppongi

Practical Notes

  • Both are very popular with families and couples — the installations are romantic and child-friendly simultaneously.
  • Allow more time than you think. People consistently underestimate how long they’ll want to stay, especially at Borderless.
  • Accessibility: Check the official sites — the water rooms at Planets have specific accessibility considerations.
  • Re-entry is generally not permitted once you leave, so see everything before you exit.