TeamLab Borderless vs TeamLab Planets
TeamLab Borderless and TeamLab Planets are digital art museums in Tokyo. But they’re nothing like standard museums – they’re unique, immersive experiences with projection mapping, music, lights and effects.
I’ve been to both (and loved them both!). It’s an experience like no other, that goes beyond language barriers – I think anyone would enjoy it! So here’s my comparison to help you choose which to visit during your Japan trip.
Planets also got a huge new expansion that opened in January 2025. It used to be about half the size of Borderless, but now they’re much more similar in terms of size.
Which should you go to?
TLDR: Here’s the short answer!
If you want a more fun, interactive experience, choose Planets. There are rooms with different floor types, more physical experiences, and only Planets has the water rooms. For families with kids, I’d say Planets is the better option.
Borderless is 100% accessible, with hard, flat floors. It’s more about looking at beautiful projections, and feeling the atmosphere. Some say it’s more immersive. There’s no climbing or balancing, or anything physical.
But there are a few things to consider…
Only Planets has Water Rooms
The water rooms are only at TeamLab Planets. These are rooms where you walk through shallow water with projections on the surface. It’s a very unique experience. That also means you don’t wear shoes at TeamLab Planets. You have to remove them as soon as you enter (there are lockers).
Also, the room with the floating orchids (above) that you see in all the Instagram photos is only at Planets.
Overall, Planets is more fun – it has rooms with unusual flooring, etc, whereas Borderless is more accessible, with flat, level floors, and more about looking at beautiful projections than physical experiences. This is especially true since the expansion at the start of 2025 – there are some fantastic additions, including the Catching and Collecting Forest, where you catch creatures from the walls on your phone. Some of them are similar to the upstairs of the original TeamLab Borderless when it used to be in Odaiba (the Athletics Forest), and some are similar to TeamLab Forest in Fukuoka (here’s my video!).
Some Rooms are the Same at Both
There are one or two rooms that are the same at both (including my favourite – the Infinite Crystal World!). So if you go to both and to see everything, there will be a very small amount of repetition. I enjoyed going to both, but on separate trips to Japan, so I absolutely didn’t mind seeing some of the installations again.
Planets is Temporary(ish)
Another point to consider is that TeamLab Planets is temporary – currently it’s scheduled to close at the end of 2027. However, that’s been extended several times since it opened, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s extended again. Given the huge expansion in 2025, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s extended again, but there’s no news on that yet.
Borderless is permanent – so if you’ll be visiting Japan again in the future, consider whether you want to catch Planets now, and visit Borderless in the future.
TeamLab Borderless
Here’s a quick summary! TeamLab Borderless is the permanent digital art museum. It takes around 3 hours to look round – although you can spend as long as you want there.
There are lots of different rooms with projections, music and lights, that you can walk around freely. There’s no map or set route, and there are no signs – this is to awaken your spirit of exploration! It’s easy to miss rooms, so take a good look around to make sure you’ve seen everything.
The venue is 100% accessible, with flat, even floors in all rooms, so if you have mobility issues you won’t have to skip anything.
TeamLab Borderless was originally in Odaiba, then moved to a new, more central location near Tokyo Tower in February 2024. It’s in a complex called Azabudai Hills, which has stunning architecture. The cafe on floor 34 of Azabudai Hills (Hills House Sky Room Cafe) has a great view of the city and Tokyo Tower. It’s quite pricey and there’s a cover charge (entry fee) of 500 yen, but it’s basically an observation deck. Details here on how to get in.
I’d recommend buying tickets for TeamLab Borderless from their official site (it’s all in English). You an also use this site to check availability and see if the day/time you want is about to sell out. Your ticket’s sent by email, and you get a barcode to enter that you can show on your phone.
Video
Here’s my video about TeamLab Borderless, filmed in March 2024 in its current location in Azabudai Hills. It’s similar to the original version that used to be in Odaiba, but a major change is that the entire upstairs section has been removed, including the Athletics Forest and the installations aimed at children (there are now similar experiences at TeamLab Planets). However, the new version is a lot more accessible and has several new rooms, which are gorgeous!
If you’re in Germany, a new TeamLab digital art museum will be opening in 2025 in Hamburg, which looks very similar to the original TeamLab Borderless in Odaiba (here’s my video of it, from 2019), which in my opinion is the best version!
TeamLab Planets
TeamLab Planets is technically a temporary attraction, but you’d never know when you’re there – everything about it feels very permanent. Following the expansion in January 2025, it’s now similar in size to Borderless, so expect it to take about 3 hours to look round, depending on your pace.
It’s divided into several areas. When you go in, there’s a locker room to store your bag/shoes, and from there you can choose which order you want to visit the different areas.
Some areas (eg ‘Water’) have a set route to follow around the rooms, so you’ll see everything, in the same order. Other areas, including the Athletics Forest, have a central pathway and you can choose which experiences you want to do, which is good for the more physical attractions – you can see them first, and if it’s not for you, you can skip them! You can return to the locker room between each area, and you can go around each as many times as you want to. Entry is timed, but once you’re in, you can move around freely and stay as long as you like.
The unique feature of TeamLab Planets is the water rooms. There are a couple of rooms where you walk through shallow water – it’s really fun! The water’s not very deep – up to about mid-calf depth on adults. I’d recommend wearing shorts, or trousers that you can roll up to the knees. There are several rooms with mirrored floors, so skirts aren’t recommended. There are lockers where you could get changed if you need to, for example in colder weather.
In the Water section, you’re barefoot throughout the entire section. The floor’s soft and it’s clean, so there’s nothing that could hurt you (in Japan, cleanliness tends to be prioritised). In the water rooms, the floor’s rubbery so it’s not slippery at all. Clean towels are provided after each water room so you can dry off (they must get through so many each day!). You can wear your shoes in the other areas. But if you’re not happy being barefoot, or being around other people’s bare feet, this might not be the attraction for you.
I’ve seen some comments online about a smell at TeamLab Planets. There’s a very light chlorine smell, similar to a swimming pool, but both times I’ve been, that was all there was. It didn’t smell bad and seemed extremely clean. Cleanliness is valued in Japanese culture (for example taking off your shoes when entering the house, and using a mat when sitting on the ground outside), so I don’t think it’s necessary to be concerned about it not being clean.
There are several rooms at Planets that are also at Borderless. Another notable unique room at Planets is the room with the hanging flowers, which are real growing plants, which you might have seen on Instagram!
Sometimes people ask me if TeamLab attractions are just for taking Instagram photos. While you can get some lovely photos there, I think it’s more about immersive environments, exploration and awakening your sense of fun and playfulness. As adults, we don’t often get to walk across squishy floors, or climb on anything, or wade through beautiful water, or be in environments that are completely different from the everyday world – it really is fun and delightful. It’s also beautiful and calming to watch the projections.
Video
Here’s my video from TeamLab Planets, filmed in 2025, including the new expansion.
After the walk-through, there’s lots of practical info and advice at the end of the video.
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TeamLab Planets Expansion
In January 2025, TeamLab Planets got a huge expansion! There are over 10 new installations, including:
- Athletics Forest – A smaller version of the upper floor at the original TeamLab Borderless, with more physical activities eg a giant slide, stepping stones to balance on, trampolines, and the room pictured below with squishy orbs to cross.
- Future Park – Involves drawing/colouring.
- Interactive projections – change what’s happening on the walls and tables with magnetic accessories (perfect for kids, but fun for anyone).
- Catching & Collecting Forest – A beautiful forest environment where you can interact with animals and catch/release them on your phone. There’s a mini (and free!) version at the Galaxy Store in Harajuku, where you catch dinosaurs. There’s also a larger oversion at TeamLab Forest in Fukuoka. I’d definitely recommend it, as it’s really fun and much quieter – we had some rooms all to ourselves!
It’s interesting they’ve expanded it so much, as Planets is temporary (currently until the end of 2027) – or maybe there’ll be news on that too…!
It seems like they’ve kept Borderless as a 100% accessible venue, and moved everything with unusual flooring to Planets.
Do you need Advance Tickets?
Both attractions are a great option for a rainy day because they’re all indoors (apart from one outside garden at TeamLab Planets). So you might want to be flexible about when you go, and wait for the weather forecast before booking tickets.
However, both are popular attractions – especially Borderless as it’s been closed during its relocation. To make sure you don’t miss out, I’d recommend keeping an eye on ticket availability to see if you need to grab tickets before they sell out, or if you can afford to wait and be flexible.
How to check ticket availability
It’s really easy to check availability:
- Go to the official website and start following the booking process.
- On the calendar, it’ll show which days only have a few tickets left – indicated by a red triangle. This seems to appear when any of the time slots are fully booked (even if it’s just one that’s sold out).
- Keep following the booking process to see which time slots are still available. Morning slots seem to sell out first.
- If there aren’t many slots left during your trip, consider booking tickets. If there’s still good availability, maybe it’s ok to wait. You can even check this on your phone while you’re in Japan.
If you’re going to Japan during a popular time, like cherry blossom season, Golden Week (end of April, / start of May) or during the popular autumn colours in November, tickets will sell out faster so you’ll need to book tickets earlier.
The colour-coded calendar you see when you book tickets gives an idea of how busy it’s likely to be – on more popular dates, the ticket price is slightly higher.
Other TeamLab Exhibitions
It’s worth noting that these two in Tokyo aren’t the only TeamLab attractions! There are others around Japan, including the Botanical Gardens in Osaka, which are outside, TeamLab Forest Fukuoka (video coming up on my channel!), one in Okinawa, and a forest in Saitama on the edge of Tokyo.
A new TeamLab attraction opened in Kyoto in October 2025 called TeamLab Biovortex, which is the largest in Japan. It has some repeated rooms from the Tokyo attractions, plus lots that are new and unique. There are 4 floors – the top floor is the same as the Athletics Forest at TeamLab Planets, which is the more physical section.
There are also temporary exhibitions for a limited time. There’s been one in an old soy sauce factory and one in a hot spring bath-house in Kyushu. So it’s worth checking what’s on during your visit, especially if you’re travelling around Japan. You can see what’s on on TeamLab’s website.
Free Installations in Tokyo
There are also a couple of much smaller installations around Tokyo that you can see for free. Most of them art quite small, but the Galaxy store in Harajuku has a whole floor with virtual dinosaurs wandering around the walls and floor you can catch with your phone (obviously a Samsung phone that they lend you to try out!) – and it’s completely free.
TeamLab also created the animated map of Tokyo at the SkyTree, to keep you entertained while you’re queuing for tickets.
Others come and go, so check the TeamLab website for an up-to-date list, as well as info about other installations around Japan.
My Japan Guide Book
If you’re planning a trip to Japan, my 300 page guide book has lots more tips, practical advice and ideas for things to do. You can get it right here, with worldwide shipping to any country worldwide:
