Tokyo Travel Guide: teamLab Borderless in Odaiba
We just came back from our 3 week trip to Japan and I’m so excited to be sharing everything we did along with introducing more topics on culture and the importance of instilling that into our homes. I’m sharing everything we did in Tokyo (see below)! This itinerary is great for kids too, as we took our 18 month old everywhere and I can assure you, she had a fun time!
I’m so excited to be sharing my favorite country, my motherland more on this blog.
Since we explored so many spots, I’ll break this into a series and write about each location so it’s not information overload haha! Here are 8 things we did in Tokyo below, and today we’re talking about teamLab Borderless!
Cherry blossom viewing at the Meguro River
Ghibli Museum
teamLab Planets
teamLab Borderless
Tsukiji Fish Market
Tokoy Disney Sea
Tokyo Disneyland
Asobono Playground at the Tokyo Dome City
TEAMLAB BORDERLESS
WHAT IS IT?
In short, the teamLab exhibitions are immersive and interactive digital art museums. There are 2 exhibits, “Planets” and “Borderless.” Note that these are 2 separate museums and located in different areas of Tokyo. Planets is located in Toyosu and Borderless is located in Odaiba. The 2 museums are similar in that it uses digital art and technology to give you an immersive experience. But there are some differences in the 2 though, so let’s talk about teamLab Borderless!
HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS
It’s highly recommended you purchase tickets beforehand. If you go on the day of with no tickets, there’s not much of a chance you can get in. Tickets are easy to purchase, I’ve provided the link below. It will allow you to choose a date based on availability. Borderless’s tickets are valid all day. You can go at anytime. While Borderless’s ticket is valid all day and you can go at any time, you’ll most likely need to wait to get in. Longer on weekends and holidays. I’ve read that it’s best to go right when it opens or at a later time after 3pm.
For reference, we went when it opened on a weekday and we didn’t wait much. I would say it was less than 20 minutes.
Purchase tickets for Borderless here: https://borderless.teamlab.art/
OUR EXPERIENCE
Borderless in comparison to Planets is much much bigger. To put it into context, we were able to finish the whole exhibit at Planets within 2 hours. Whereas, we were no where close to seeing everything at Borderless in 3 hours. There were sooo many rooms and even a 2nd floor to see.
We explored Athletics Forest, Forest of Lamps, and the En Tea House while we were there.
ATHLETICS FOREST
My favorite was hands down the Athletics Forest. We went there first, per recommendation from Jo from The Tokyo Chapter. I was looking for kid friendly areas in the exhibit and she recommended to check out Athletics Forest. It was sooo amazing and I just love how Addie loved it too. It’s basically an open space where it promotes us to use our body to experience space and art. There was a trampoline, a slide, a room full of balloons, slopes, and much more. It’s hard to explain and you just really have to experience it for yourself! While the Forest of Lamps is more widely known and the most instagrammed spot within the exhibit, I absolutely loved the Athletics Forest. I highly recommend it especially if you have kids.
And they even have play areas for babies under 2 years old! This made this mama and Addie happy.
FOREST OF LAMPS
The famous Forest of Lamps. It’s probably one of, if not, the top instagrammed location in the teamLab exhibits. We couldn’t leave without checking it out. It is literally one room full of lamps that changes colors. Sounds so simple but what you experience visually is anything but simple.
It took us forever to figure out where this room was. It’s on the second floor, you’re welcome!
Note that you’ll need to wait in line to get into the room. We probably waited for about 20 minutes and that’s considered short. On weekends, holidays, or peak hours, I’ve heard the line can be an hour +. Something to consider when you’re planning your trip here.
I was bummed that we were only able to spend 2-3 minutes inside. While I understood the need for crowd control, I was still a little disappointed. Between taking photos, watching Addie, and admiring the work, I felt like I didn’t get enough time to really enjoy the room. Something to keep in mind! Especially if you’re looking to get “the shot.”
However, it doesn’t take away the fact that the room is pretty. darn. cool.
EN TEA HOUSE
Finally, the En Tea House was another one of a kind experience. It’s a tea cafe combined with digital art. Each tea was 500 yen. We ordered green tea and Yuzu green tea, available hot or iced. Once you get the tea, a digital flower blooms inside your tea. When you move your cup, the art moves with it and the flower blooms again. We also ordered matcha green tea ice cream (yum!) and on this one, a digital vine grew. It was a refreshing way to end our trip at Borderless.
Here are some final tips on how to enjoy teamLab Borderless
Purchase tickets early.
They have lockers for you to put away your bags & jackets.
Wear flat shoes or sneakers. If you have boots on or the slightest heel, they’ll make you rent out shoes for certain areas.
There are mirrors underneath, so I recommend wearing pants, shorts, or long skirts so no one can see your panties ladies haha.
Bring your carrier if your kids still need to be held or can’t follow your directions when it comes to walking.
It’s worth noting again that, Borderless is in Odaiba and Planets is in Toyosu. They are 2 separate exhibits. You just read about BORDERLESS. (See Planets post here)
Hope this helps and let me know if you’re planning to go to Borderless!