Heading to Tokyo, Japan and plan to visit TeamLab Planets? Learn about the interactive art exhibit and consider all the tips in this post to help plan and prepare for your visit.
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Intro
In the heart of Tokyo, where tradition meets technology, lies a captivating digital art museum that goes beyond the boundaries of conventional artistic expression. TeamLab Planets, a creation of the art collective teamLab, is a mesmerizing journey into a realm where art and technology converge. They invite millions of visitors to engage with a symphony of light, sound, and interactivity.
Why teamLab Planets Tokyo is Unique
First things first, why is teamLab Planets unique? For me, visiting teamLab Planets was undoubtedly one of the most interactive and mesmerizing art experiences I’ve done abroad. It 1) seamlessly fuses art and technology, 2) has unique immersive water installations, 3) has borderless infinity rooms, and 4) has mesmerizing installations of light and sound:
Fusion of Art & Technology – Digital Art Installations
TeamLab Planets is not your typical art museum; it’s an amazing interactive modern art exhibit with various installations you can feel truly immersed in. This unique digital art space is a testament to teamLab’s commitment to creating art without boundaries. Since I am fascinated by science and technology and also have a strong interest in art and creativity, teamLab Planets was a perfect fusion of both these interests and I’m so glad I was able to experience it during my visit to Tokyo.
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Aquatic Adventures – Water Installations
As you step into teamLab Planets, you’re immediately transported into aquatic-themed installations that redefine the conventional gallery experience. You walk in streaming waters or even through about knee-deep water. This way, visitors become active participants in the art by physically experiencing, and literally soak in and feel the aquatic art. The Koi fish water infinity room installation has a cool interactive feature where the you are surrounded by digital displays of fish that react to your every movement.
Borderless Art – Infinity Room Installations
Like other teamLab projects, teamLab Planets seeks to break down the traditional confines of art spaces. My favorite installations have mirrored walls and floors creating a seamless integration of art and space. They transport you into a mesmerizing infinity room where you feel fully immersed in an artistic and interactive environment.
Light & Sound Shows – High Sensory Installations
The museum incorporates dynamic light and sounds that enhances the visual and auditory aspects of the digital art installations. This creates an engaging and sensory-rich environment (which may also be a bit overwhelming) and is present in each installation. The Flower Universe installation is a room where you especially experience this where the lights, displays, and sounds really transport you. In this room, you’re able to lay flat and fully immerse, soak in, and experience in the flower universe it creates.
teamLab Planet’s interactive and immersive installations
Practical Information
Where is Tokyo’s teamLab Planets?
- TeamLab Planets is situated in Toyosu, Tokyo in the Odaiba District
- The exact address may be subject to change, so it’s advisable to check the latest information before planning a visit. At the time of this writing, the Tokyo location will remain until end of 2027.
How to Get to teamLab Planets?
- The blue Yurikamome metro line will stop almost directly in front of the teamLab Planets building
- Get off the train at the Shin-Toyosu Station, then take the stairs/elevator down to the sidewalk. TeamLab Planets will be a short walk away
How to Purchase Tickets?
- Purchase teamLab Planets tickets online here (or in the form below), where you’ll have to specify a date and time entry
- Once you enter teamLab Planets though, you can spend as much time as you’d like inside
- Secure your admission tickets in advance, as teamLab Planets is a popular attraction with limited entry slots
- It is advised to arrive at the exhibit 30 minutes before your timed entry to accommodate for preparation time
- If you miss your entry time, you are still able to enter the exhibit. Just let the staff know and keep in mind the last admission is 1 hour before closing
Purchase your teamLab Planets ticket using the below:
Tips to Prepare for & Enjoy Your Visit
A. Dress Appropriately
- 1. Expect to get wet! Wear clothing, especially bottoms, that you don’t mind getting a little damp, as some exhibits involve walking through water
- However, if your pants are able to roll up to your knees and stay up, then that may be sufficient to avoid getting them wet
- If needed, they provide shorts you can rent as well
- 2. Expect to be barefoot! Not only are you walking in water, but you will also walk on mirror floors and on soft pillows
- Prior to entering the exhibit, you will need to take off your shoes and store them in the free lockers
- There is one outdoor installation where you borrow sandals to put on before going outside
- 3. For girls in dresses or skirts, you can also put on (or rent) shorts to make you feel more comfortable walking over mirror floors
- I actually wore a black dress with black shorts already underneath and that worked satisfactorily for me
B. Free Lockers & Changing Rooms
- 4. Prior to entering the exhibit, there will be free lockers for you to place all your belongings in. You will need to take off your shoes at this point
- 5. There are changing rooms where you can change out of long pants if you need to
- Bring an extra pair of shorts (or rent shorts) if you do not want to get your pants wet
C. Interactive Engagement
- 6. Embrace the interactive nature of the exhibits. Engage with the art, touch, move, and immerse yourself fully in the digital experience
- 7. For the water installations, the water is a comfortable lukewarm temperature and towels are provided afterwards to dry your feet
- 8. You can stay as long as you’d like in most installations so you can soak in the artistic beauty. The only installation with a time limit is the last one: Floating Flower Garden, an infinity flower room with seemingly thousands of hanging flowers that gradually lowers once you enter.
- Participants are regulated from entering to allow a limited amount of people in at one time and is timed so that people don’t spend too much time here. This allows everyone a fair opportunity to experience it
- If you want to continue your time in this garden after your time limit has passed, you are able to go back to the end of the line and wait to enter again.
- 9. After each installation, look for text on the wall that explains the exhibit, its meaning, and how the artist intended to make you feel
Final Words
TeamLab Planets Tokyo seamlessly integrates technology with art. The space challenges traditional perceptions of art where you become an active participant in teamLab’s creation of an artistic and interactive experience. Tokyo’s teamLab Planets is a testament to the boundless possibilities that emerge when creativity and technology intertwine, and offer a glimpse into the limitless potential of the digital age in shaping the future of art. Bon Voyage!
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