I thought this Tokyo attraction would be a major tourist trap. It ended up being a highlight of my first trip to Japan.
TeamLab Planets is one of the most popular attractions in Tokyo.
TeamLab Planets quickly made a name for itself after opening its doors in 2018. It currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most-visited museum dedicated to a single group or artist, bringing in more than 2.5 million visitors from April 2023 to March 2024.
A popular second location in Tokyo, known as teamLab Borderless, focuses on digital art.
Both museums were launched by teamLab, an international art collective that includes artists, animators, engineers, mathematicians, and architects among its specialists. Together, they work to "explore the relationship between the self and the world," according to the museum's website, although global brand director Takashi Kudo said they have an even bigger goal.
"If these exhibitions cannot reach an emotional height, then we have failed," he told The New York Times last year. "We have to reach people's hearts."
Even during the peak season in March, I was able to easily book tickets.
TeamLab Planets offers time slots from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Just about every travel blog recommends visiting the museum when it opens to beat crowds (and have fewer people in your Instagram shots), which means every morning slot was sold out when I tried to book tickets about a week in advance.
I figured the nighttime slots might be less crowded, so I booked two tickets for 7:30 p.m. The total was 8,800 yen, or about $61.
Before visiting, we found some helpful tips online for what to wear.
Both the travel blogs and our friends' Google Docs noted that part of the museum's experience involves walking through water.
We made sure to wear shoes that could quickly slip off and pants that could easily roll up. Since the floors are mirrored, a number of blogs recommended skipping skirts or short dresses. Shorts are also available to rent for free if you need them.
We arrived 30 minutes before our time slot began, and found a line already curving around the building.
We quickly made it past the gates of the 10,000-square-foot warehouse, where we were welcomed with a towering sculpture called "Universe of Fire Particles Haunting the Sky and Earth." The lit-up piece, glowing with red and yellow flames, changes as people stand near it.
More art can be found at Vegan Ramen UZU, the museum's ramen shop. I wish I hadn't grabbed dinner beforehand because a friend later told me this was one of her favorite ramen experiences in all of Tokyo!
After watching a quick introductory video, our experience at teamLab Planets began.
The museum is divided into three sections: Water, Athletics Forest, and Garden. The forest section, which opened in January, had added 20 new exhibits to the original nine.
We left our bags and shoes in the free lockers, which came with keys we could wear as bracelets. Then, we walked up a ramp as we headed into the water exhibit, our feet softly splashing beneath us.
The first major exhibit was the famous "Infinite Crystal Universe."
After walking through nearly pitch-black spaces, the world opens to a dazzling room filled with hundreds of shimmering LED lights. They seemed to go on forever, a trick of the eye achieved by the mirrored floor.
Maybe it's because I'm partial to sparkle eyeshadow and the exhibit reminded me of the bottom of my makeup bag, but how could you not love pretty lights? I was entranced.
As with all the exhibits at teamLab Planets, the lights are affected by the presence of those around them. Attendees who download the teamLab Planets app can even choose which colors light up. It allows the piece to evolve constantly, ensuring it's never the same.
Next up was one of my favorite exhibits, the glowing koi pond.
We walked into the dark room as a rainbow of digital koi fish swam in the warm water around us.
Each time a koi fish collided with our leg, it transformed into a lovely flower. According to the museum's website, these flowers change depending on what season you visit the exhibit.
Then, we walked into a room filled with ginormous balloons.
My boyfriend and I giggled like kids as we wandered through the massive spheres, which changed color whenever we touched them.
The room glowed bright pink, blue, and green as we bounced and pushed the spheres around us.
A room called "Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers" provided a moment of serenity.
We joined a group of people lying on the ground to silently watch the digital flowers surrounding us. The exhibit displays different flowers in their full circle of life as they grow, bloom, and die.
The peaceful moment was a nice interlude before we walked into the much more active "Athletics Forest" section.
We put our shoes back on and headed to the "Athletics Forest."
The "Athletics Forest" is a neon playground. The colorful and interactive digital exhibit invited us to climb up a waterfall, swing through a flock of birds, and slide into a fruit field.
It was around this time that my phone battery died, and it couldn't have come at a more perfect moment, as I fully immersed myself.
As I bounced on the rotating spheres and balanced on stepping stones, I felt transported back to the games my friends and I used to make up on the playground, when the only available entertainment was our imagination and some monkey bars.
"Graffiti Nature" was another favorite exhibit.
My boyfriend and I were happy to stumble on a table full of people coloring pictures of flowers, butterflies, snakes, and lizards. A full day of sightseeing was quickly catching up to us, and we needed a sedentary activity.
After we finished coloring, a teamLab staff member took our drawings and put them through a special printer. Suddenly, our illustrations were projected across the entire room. My boyfriend's snake slithered by our feet as my flower multiplied on the walls. It was a total surprise and a moment of pure delight.
Last but not least was the famous floating flower garden.
TeamLab Planets' flower garden consists of more than 13,000 live orchids, which float above you as you walk into the room. As with "Infinite Crystal Universe," the flowers seem to surround you, thanks to the mirrored floors.
The orchids can sense movement and shift up or down as you walk through them, even sliding right up to your face. When you look at a flower closely, it's meant to stare right back.
It's a gorgeous and awe-inspiring sight, made possible because the orchids grow by absorbing water from the air. And yes, it smells incredible.
After admiring a garden of glowing eggs, our night at teamLab Planets came to an end.
When I first heard about teamLab Planets, I figured it would be similar to the Ice Cream Museum or the viral "Van Gogh experience" — quick photo ops purely designed for Instagram.
But my boyfriend and I had such a blast that we wished we had come earlier to spend more time at each exhibit.
The museum is so fun and playful that it seems purposely designed to heal your inner child. I had more fun after my phone died and could completely immerse myself in the experience.
If teamLab Planets is a tourist trap, I'd happily get captured again.
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