teamLab Borderless vs Planets: Which one is better suited for you?

teamLab Borderless and teamLab Planets are 2 distinct Digital Art Museums in Tokyo, Japan. Many folks choose to cover both on their Tokyo trip. We did the same during our 5 days trip to Tokyo. But having been to both, I would say visiting one of the teamLab museums is sufficient. The pertinent question then is to choose between teamLab Borderless vs Planets, which one is better suited for you.

Digital Art Museums are gaining momentum like the Van Gogh exhibition around Europe, which travelled to several cities in Asia as well. However, teamLab has been at the forefront of Digital Art Galleries for years. Here, I review both of Tokyo teamLab digital art museums and give you the pros and cons of visiting each of these. 

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teamLab Borderless

Borderless, as the name suggests, is constructed like a free-flowing journey. An experience where digital art flows between rooms sans boundaries. You get immersed in this interactive light, mirror and nature projections. We visited this museum in Azabudai Hills on the first full day of our Japan trip.

Another good part of teamLab Borderless is the location. Mori building and elsewhere in Azabudai Hills has loads of cafes and restaurants to visit before or after you see the art museum. There is also Tokyo Tower nearby, this iconic structure in Japan offers panoramic views of the city from its observation deck.

We had booked the morning slot and there were no crowds, we just showed our digital tickets and walked right in! teamLab Borderless is popular so expect it to be crowded during mid-day and evenings. There are free lockers before the ticket gates, but we didn’t have any stuff to drop.

Our experience at Borderless

The art at Borderless responds to your touch – digital flowers blooming at your touch, animals moving with you, and mirrored floors creating infinite vistas. Each room is ever-changing, and looks different every time you walk into it. 

We spent an hour walking around the different rooms here. You can easily spend about 1.5 to 2 hours. What I liked was the opportunities for stunning photo-ops! But after an hour or so, the digital projections, bright colours against dark rooms, sounds, and enclosed space became too much for my husband and daughter. The visual overload was enough for us to move out.

Like I mentioned before, the art is ever-changing so your experience will be different than ours. This is a brief account of the different rooms we walked into. Do note that rooms spill into each other and there is no defined path, so you have to carve out your own way. Also, there are no marked room names as such, I have called them basis the art I was seeing at that time.

The different rooms at Borderless

We first walked into a Flower room. The flowers blooming over the walls was a joy to watch. At times, butterflies would get projected dancing over the flowers. We then came upon the Central Oasis room. This is the largest space at Borderless. What you see here would be different each time you come back to this room. I loved the waterfall cascading down the main wall. The size and the space in this room also gives you some distance and space from the digital art projections on the walls. Most other rooms open into this Main Hall.

There was a small room where Japanese Art was being projected. I liked it for the local connect and also for its black-and-white theme. I also liked the fact that art continues with you into the corridors, we had Japanese folks walking with us.

We walked into another Flower meadow room where sunflowers stole the show. We then entered into the popular Infinite Crystal Universe, an immersive space filled with thousands of LED lights, mirrors, and interactive elements, creating an endless, galaxy-like effect.

We entered a room with varying elevations so that it felt like walking across a natural mountain terrain. By now, my family members had refused to pose for photos! We then came upon a Smoky room. Apart from digital art projections, there was also mist blowing into the room, so it felt immersive and cold.

Some of the rooms we missed and En Tea House

My husband and daughter had enough of digital projections after the first full hour. I had to miss a few rooms because of them. The popular one that we missed is the Bubble Universe, with spheres of light hanging from the ceiling, changing colour, and reflecting in the mirrored floor and walls. And another one, where expansive projections appear on the walls, continually moving. Do visit Sketch Ocean at the end especially if you are travelling with kids. You get to sketch and create sea animals, and then the staff scans your creation. You get to see your drawn animal swim off with all the other fish that visitors have drawn.

We gave the En Tea House a miss, but I have heard good reviews about this tea house. This is the only place within the Borderless museum for refreshments. This costs extra, and usually has a queue, and you can choose from different types of tea. The tea drinking is experiential here. You are made to sit in a dark room, and the tea is poured in a glass bowl. A flower blooms inside the bowl, while petals radiate from under the bowl on the table. Go early (opening time) for fewer crowds and a more peaceful start, especially for the tea house at Borderless.

As I mentioned earlier, Mori Building where teamLab Borderless is located is full of cafes. We tried Minimal, a Bean-to-Bar chocolate boutique cafe, and loved it.

teamLab Planets

Before our Japan trip, we had pre-booked both Borderless and Planets. We kept a sufficient gap between the 2 art museums. But having been to both, I would say visit to one digital art museum is sufficient for your Tokyo trip. teamLab Planets is a fully immersive, body-centric digital art experience.

teamLab Planets is located in Toyosu, a manmade island and neighbourhood of Tokyo. It’s a little out of the way from central Tokyo. We changed the date / time from our pre-booked slot and got the last evening slot for a visit here. Unlike the morning slot at Borderless, the evening slot at Planets was far more crowded. There was a snaking line just to get inside. So while booking, do try and get an earlier slot in the day.

If you go earlier in the day to Planets and want to hang around in the area, you can explore the lively Toyosu Fish market nearby. Or head to Odaiba area close by for the giant Unicorn Gundam Statue, Miraikan Science Museum, or just to enjoy waterfront views.

Our experience at Planets

Despite the long wait (felt longer because it was drizzling through that evening) to get inside this museum, our experience at Planets was spectacular. Do allow extra time (30 mins) for entry here, as Planets often has lines, even with timed tickets. We found Planets to be far more engaging than Borderless. And even though Planets is smaller than Borderless, we ended up spending more time here. It is designed to engage multiple senses through water, light, and tactile elements.

There are free lockers at the entrance which we used for our stuff, not just at the beginning but also in between the different areas. Like to take off shoes before we went to the water area. There are 4 distinct and well-marked areas at Planets. The outdoor part was closed off due to persistent rain.

4 distinct areas at Planets

There are 4 different areas or zones at Planets. And you don’t have to go through them in a linear way, you can choose the order. We left our shoes in the locker and walked to the Water area. The inline walk with water gushing down is cool. Depending on your height, the water will be mid-calf (for most adults) to knee-deep (for most kids).

I loved the digital koi fish swimming in the water here, which changes its path depending on your movement. When you collide with a fish, it transforms into a flower. I have more videos of this room than photos. So unless walking in a common water area with other people freaks you out, you will love this zone. And at the end, there are towels provided to wipe your feet, so no need to carry your own.

We checked the Infinite Crystal Universe next, the only common theme with Borderless. Strings of LED lights hang from the ceiling in this large room, the lights changing colour and the mirrored floor added to the feeling of infinite space. I had some uncomfortable moments wearing a knee-length dress on the mirror floor, oops! It is best to wear pants, shorts or a long dress. There is also a Bubble Universe at Planets, basically a giant ball room with soft, colour-changing balls.

The Forest area is a playground-like space with uneven floors for physical interaction. You challenge your body in three-dimensional spaces, jumping on spheres, climbing on bars amongst flocks of birds, and more. There is also the ‘catching and collecting extinct forest‘ experience here that allows you to capture digital animals.

And finally, what I think is the showstopper – the Floating Garden area. This is a beautiful place with real orchids hanging from the ceiling. Hundreds of live orchids are hung from the ceiling, and move as people walk by. The mirrored floor magnifies the effect.

We missed a couple of outdoor areas due to rains. The Moss Garden of Resonating Microcosms is full of reflective silver ovoids with mist rising between them. Another new space outside is Orchid Glass House, where you can drink tea and sake and watch orchids from Floating Flower Garden.

teamLab Borderless vs Planets

The biggest difference between the two Tokyo teamLabs is that Planets is more immersive in a sensory way. Here you walk through water, interact with light installations, and become part of nature-infused tech. Borderless feels more visually immersive. But that was overwhelming for my daughter after an hour, and repetitive for my husband. So my verdict if to choose teamLab Planets over Borderless. Many folks do both, and that is what we did as well. But I do think a visit to one of the teamLab museums is sufficient.

Choose teamLab Planets over Borderless

My vote is for teamLab Planets for a more sensory, interactive, and family-friendly experience. Also, Borderless heavily relies on looking at digital projections everywhere. So if bright lights and eye strain easily give you headaches, then you might enjoy Planets better. My daughter got over-stimulated at Borderless within an hour.

You should choose teamLab Planets if –

• You are with kids or teens. My 14-year old loved the Water area, happily chasing the digital koi fish and the Floating Flower area with its real orchids.
• More interactive exhibits excite you. You want to walk through knee-deep water, touch floating spheres, and experience varied floor textures.
• You like the idea of distinct themes or zones, water, forest, garden etc.

Choose teamLab Borderless over Planets

Many folks prefer the visual, exploratory, immersive art world of Borderless. It can be better for adults seeking a continuous digital journey where art moves between spaces.

You should choose teamLab Borderless if –

• You want a pure visually immersive art world focused on exploration and discovery.
• You like to wander around in a non-linear, non-guided way simply to discover hidden connections.
• You want to stay dry and not wade in water: Borderless is all flat floors and you keep your shoes on.

FAQs: teamLab Planets vs Borderless

Newly opened teamLab Biovertax Kyoto

A new teamLab art museum has opened in Kyoto in October 2025. This is across a massive area of more than 10,000 sq. metres. If you have to choose only one teamLab during your Japan trip, you may consider Kyoto’s Biovertax as it’s larger, (currently) less crowded, and combines elements from both Tokyo locations. See if your Kyoto itinerary can accommodate a visit to this newest museum.

Planning a trip to Japan? Check out –

Start with Essential Travel Tips For Japan and 2 Weeks in Japan

City Itineraries: 3 Days in Kyoto Itinerary, Osaka 3 Day Itinerary

Day Trips: Best day trips from Tokyo, Best day trips from Osaka, Ultimate Guide to Tokyo DisneySea

And finally, the Best Hotels in Japan

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