In our Tokyo travel community, 【Tokyo Japan Travel, Food & Backpacking】, many members have asked if teamLab Planets in Toyosu is worth adding to their itinerary. On my latest trip to Tokyo, I made a special visit to teamLab Planets TOKYO to bring you this detailed analysis!
teamLab Planets TOKYO
teamLab has exhibitions all over the world, but teamLab Planets TOKYO focuses on a "body immersive" experience with its "Museum Where You Walk Through Water" and "Garden Where You Become One with the Flowers." It features four massive art spaces and two gardens. Visitors explore the exhibition barefoot, creating a unique, immersive experience with others through touch, sight, and sound as they become part of the giant artworks.
On average, one in every ten foreign tourists in Japan visits this exhibition. Since its opening in 2018 and celebrating its fifth anniversary, the exhibition has announced that its run will be extended to the end of 2027, with updated and new works to enhance the immersive enjoyment.
How to Get to teamLab Planets TOKYO
teamLab Planets TOKYO is located in Toyosu. Whether you're coming from Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, or Shinagawa, you can take the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line and get off at Toyosu Market Station (a 5-minute walk) or take the Yurikamome Line from JR Shimbashi Station and get off at Shin-Toyosu Station (a 1-minute walk).
Although there are buses from places like Shinjuku, they are often crowded with long waiting times. We recommend using the train for a more convenient journey.
teamLab Planets TOKYO Tickets
Tickets for teamLab Planets TOKYO can be purchased on travel booking platforms like Klook and on the official website.
▌ Book on Klook (Click here to book)
Booking on Klook is very convenient with an English interface and instant ticket confirmation. Just show the QR code at the entrance during your selected time slot! They also offer a "skip-the-line" pass for travelers who want to save time.
Klook.com▌Official Website Booking
You can also book tickets on the official teamLab Planets TOKYO website. Simply select a date, see the available time slots, and complete the booking. The process is also quite simple.
We recommend planning ahead and booking early, as this attraction is extremely popular with tourists. Same-day slots are rarely available, and you often need to book two weeks to a month in advance!
Our Experience at teamLab Planets TOKYO
After arriving at our scheduled time, we followed the signs to queue up. The queues for different time slots are separate, so pay attention to the signs. We were about fifteen minutes late but were fortunately still allowed to enter directly!
At the entrance, visitors are let in by groups. First, you'll stop in an area to watch an instruction video, which explains that you'll need to take off your shoes and socks and that your pants might get wet. Also, because some exhibits have mirrored floors, those wearing short skirts should be aware of the risk of reflections.
First, you'll head to the locker area. Here, you need to store large items like backpacks and go barefoot for the rest of the exhibition.
▌Waterfall of Light Particles on a Slope
The first artwork you encounter is the "Waterfall of Light Particles on a Slope." Various lights are projected onto flowing water to create a waterfall. As you walk barefoot into the increasingly deep water, it feels like you're climbing a hill while your feet get a nice wash.
▌Soft Black Hole
In a flash, you'll find yourself in the "Soft Black Hole," a space filled with beanbags. Here, you can freely roll around and relax on the soft surface, setting the stage for more sensory experiences to come.
Klook.com
After passing through a long, dark red corridor with calming music that feels like a spiritual cleanse, you slowly enter the next area: "The Infinite Crystal Universe."
▌The Infinite Crystal Universe
Immersed in a space filled with crystals and refracted light, it feels like being among shooting stars. The lights change color periodically, and the mirrored walls and floor create an infinite extension. Any photo taken here looks beautiful, even if you're not a great photographer!
▌Drawing on the Water Surface Created by the Dance of Koi and People
The next area is even more interactive. You step into calf-deep water. What for? It turns out to be a giant koi pond! Colorfully projected koi "swim" in the water, and when they touch visitors, they transform into flowers, like cherry blossoms in spring or red maple leaves in autumn. It's incredibly fun!
▌Expanding Three-Dimensional Existence in Transforming Space
Towels are provided to dry your feet before you move to the next space, which is filled with giant white spheres. You can freely push and move the spheres, and their colors will change! Here's a little secret: when it's crowded, you can use the giant white balls to block out other people from your photos!
It’s also worth noting that this area features twelve different light colors. Besides red, blue, and green, there are nine traditional Japanese color schemes, including Light in Water, Sunlight, Morning Glow, Morning Sky, Twilight Sky, Peach, Plum, Iris, and Spring Maple. Which colors did you manage to capture?
Klook.com▌Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers
Feeling a bit tired? The next exhibition area is absolutely stunning! It's like being in a planetarium cinema. You can lie on the floor and gaze at the flowers that surround the entire space, watching the therapeutic cycle of blooming and withering.
Suddenly, you're back at the locker area. But don't forget, there's still one more exhibition area to see! Pass through the other side of the locker area to reach the garden section. Since this is an outdoor experience, the park provides slippers so you don't have to worry about hurting your feet—so thoughtful!
▌Floating Flower Garden
This is definitely the most popular and IG-worthy exhibition area online. To maintain the quality of the experience, entry to this space is done in batches, so you'll need to queue and wait for the staff to let you in to take photos among the flowers.
Normally, flowers grow from the ground, but here it's like an inverted space. The flowers hang from the ceiling, and with the infinite reflections from the mirrored surfaces, you feel like you're in a dreamlike garden. It's a must-see photo spot! The flowers are mainly orchids, so the air in this space is filled with a wonderful floral scent.
▌Moss Garden of Resonating Microcosms
Countless "giant eggs" are scattered across the mossy ground. Depending on the weather, they take on different appearances at different times. At night, they light up in as many as 61 colors and emit different sounds based on human interaction—very interesting!
▌Universe of Fire Particles Falling from the Sky
It turns out the pillar outside the entrance is also an exhibit! When people get close, it generates a black image that changes the shape of the flame. I've heard you can also use the official app's AR feature to receive and send flame images, making it even more playful!
Final Thoughts & Review
A full visit to teamLab Planets TOKYO takes about an hour and a half. Because the interactive exhibits are not pre-recorded but rather respond to human interaction, every visit is a unique experience. Compared to other recent outdoor dome installations, teamLab Planets TOKYO is more thoughtfully designed in terms of its route and sensory experiences. It's truly worth a visit, which explains why it's a hot spot visited by one in every ten foreign tourists!
If you're planning your trip, hurry and buy your tickets to try it out! If you've already been, feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with us!
teamLab Planets TOKYO
Address: 6 Chome-1-16 Toyosu, Koto City, Tokyo
Transportation: 1-minute walk from Shin-Toyosu Station (Yurikamome Line) / 5-minute walk from Toyosu Market Station (Yurakucho Line)
Hours: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM (Please check the official website for closed days)
Official Website: Link
Book Tickets: Klook
