TeamLab Borderless Digital Art Museum vs TeamLab Planets: Which Offers the Best Experience?

Tokyo is home to two incredible museums created by TeamLab: TeamLab Borderless and TeamLab Planets. While there are some similarities between these TeamLab digital art museums, they also have distinct differences that we will explore shortly.

• Background of TeamLab

Established in 2001, Teamlab is an international art collective that operates museums and large-scale permanent exhibitions globally. Their aim is to provide a unique perspective on the world through digital art, offering interactive and sensory experiences that go beyond conventional boundaries.

When visiting Tokyo, Japan, both Teamlab Borderless and Teamlab Planets are highly recommended tourist destinations. If you only have time for one during your Tokyo trip, your choice will ultimately depend on personal preference and the location that is most convenient based on your itinerary.

• TeamLab Borderless Digital Art Musuem

Teamlab Borderless Bubble Universe Space

TeamLab Borderless Digital Art Musuem began in 2018 at Odaiba before relocating to its permanent location at Azabudai Hills within the Mori Building in Tokyo. After being closed for a year and a half during the transition, it reopened on February 9, 2024.

The museum is an art collective that spans across various rooms, offering a continuous experience that allows visitors to explore without the need for a map, creating an immersive and borderless art world with numerous unique photo opportunities. Additionally, there is a tea house located within the museum, which unfortunately we did not have the chance to visit, as well as a sketch factory just outside the museum.

Teamlab Borderless Dissolving Lights Space - Photo Opportunity

Itinerary Tip: Conveniently situated in central Tokyo, close to Tokyo Tower, you could consider visiting Ginza in the morning, spending about 2 hours at TeamLab Borderless in the early afternoon, and then heading to Tokyo Tower in the late afternoon or evening. If you don't want to get lost and miss your allotted time, check out this short video.

• TeamLab Planets

Teamlab Planets Moss Garden of Resonating Microcosms

Next up is Teamlab Planets, which opened in July 2018 as a temporary museum set to conclude in 2027. 

This museum offers a heightened level of immersion and interactivity involving physical engagement. Visitors will encounter four expansive art installations and two gardens, moving barefoot through water alongside others. The experience is truly unmatched and unique. Additionally, there is a vegan ramen eatery and a flower boutique located just outside the museum.

Itinerary Tip: The museum in Odaiba, Tokyo, is not as centrally located as the Borderless museum. Therefore, unless you have other activities planned in Odaiba, it may seem a bit out of the way. Consider combining a visit to this museum with seeing the Unicorn Gundam at Diver City Tokyo Plaza on the same day, which I highly recommend.

• What's the Difference? Which One is the Best?

Both of these museums focus on digital art and feature a shared infinite crystal universe. While Borderless showcases distinctive rooms with dissolving lights and a Bubble universe, Planets offers a water section, 3D light spheres, as well as an Orchid and moss garden.

Teamlab Planets Entrance to Water Area

The primary distinctions between the two museums lie in their locations and the kind of immersive experiences they offer. If you find yourself in central Tokyo and prefer digital art exhibitions, Borderless is the ideal choice. However, if you are open to venturing a bit farther for a more hands-on encounter, I would suggest visiting TeamLab Planets.

Watch our YouTube video for a more visual explanation!

• Conclusion

Without a doubt, you have the option to do both or even more! Teamlab has museum branches in Osaka, Fukuoka, Okinawa, and various public art installations outside of Tokyo in Japan at present. If you are looking for suggestions on where to stay before you visit these musuems, be sure to read this blog post.

Random but Related Tip: We went to Fukuoka's Teamlab Forests and this one was more inactive with your smartphone since you capture, study and release the animals displayed. Super cool concept that really connects you with these animals!

Both museums are worth visiting! I hope this will assist you in choosing which digital art museum to explore during your upcoming trip to Tokyo, Japan.