teamLab Planets Tokyo is a futuristic and immersive digital art experience in Tokyo. Unlike any other museum, the exhibits will surely delight the entire family.
Tokyo is a city with endless wonders. It’s filled with edgy buildings, interesting stores, and plenty of fun activities to discover. One of the most unique experiences in Japan is teamLab’s immersive exhibits. We’ve previously visited teamLab Borderless and our entire family had so much fun exploring the dark unknown. We couldn’t wait to go to teamLab Planets during our visit to Japan in Dec 2022.
The Planets exhibit is currently extended until the end of 2023. It was originally scheduled to shut down in the fall of 2020.
teamLab Planets TOKYO
If you are not familiar with teamLab’s exhibitions, the displays are massive digital modern art that offer multi-sensory, full-body immersive experience. Visitors are encouraged to touch and interact with the artworks to maximize their exploration. Separated by rooms or space, each exhibit transports the visitors into a different realm.
The Planets TOKYO exhibition is located in a warehouse in Toyosu area, not far from the world-renowned Toyosu Fish Market. There are 2 main themes: water and garden. With 7 exhibits in the water area and 2 in the garden area.
First, no shoes are allowed inside the museum as you are to experience the mysterious spaces barefooted.
Ready to check them out? Let’s go!
Waterfall of Light Particles at the Top of an Incline
Once you start making your way to the water area entrance in bare feet, you would be greeted with a big surprise! Inside the entrance, warm ankle-high water comes rushing down a ramp. Our sensations heightened and grew increasingly exhilarated while we waded slowly to the waterfall at the top.
Soft Black Hole – Your Body Becomes a Space that Influences Another Body
After the warm water walk, visitors are suddenly transitioned into a room where the floor is covered with a soft fabric. As if someone is playing a trick, the fabric feels like quicksand and it sucks your legs in with each step when you try to move forward. We could only laugh our way out while trying to cross the room without falling over too much and making a fool of ourselves.
The Infinite Crystal Universe
The dark room ends and transitions to a bright crystal palace, with sparkling lights forming different patterns and evolving into different shapes. We’ve seen a similar experience at Borderless but it was nevertheless delightful.
Drawing on the Water Surface Created by the Dance of Koi and People – Infinity
Moving on to the adjacent space, we are immediately transported to another world where the room is filled up with knee-high cloudy water. Digital koi projected on the water are swimming around and interacting with visitors. There are mirror walls all around us, which makes us feel like we are in the movie Matrix.
Matter is Void – Fire
Off to the side of the water room, there’s a slight hidden room with the graphics Matter is Void on the wall. Very cool!
Expanding Three-Dimensional Existence in Transforming Space – Flattening 3 Colors and 9 Blurred Colors, Free Floating
The next room we entered is dream-like, filled with large spheres in the space on a mirrored floor. The colorful spheres are both suspended and on the floor. When they’re touched or bumped, the spheres change color, and the color cascades throughout the room.
Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers
The last room in the water area is absolutely mind blowing, with colorful projections flying across the walls and ceiling. The design is meant to let visitors feel like they’re floating through space with explosions of floral patterns. We simply sat down and took in the amazing visuals in the room.
Moss Garden of Resonating Microcosms – Solidified Light Color, Sunrise and Sunset
After the water area, we entered the garden space which was added most recently. The moss garden from what we’ve seen is better enjoyed during the night. During the day, you feel like you’re in some alien land with metal eggs about to hatch. At night, the ovoids glow in different colors. The colors spread to other nearby ovoids when they are being pushed over.
Floating Flower Garden: Flowers and I are of the Same Root, the Garden and I are One
The last room in the garden is utterly surreal. We’re surrounded by a three-dimensional mass of orchids dangling from the ceiling. The flowers move up and down to create space for visitors to walk around. It gets a bit visually disorientating as the floor is a giant mirror. In this ethereal space, you become one with the garden.
Many of the exhibits at teamLab Planets bring about an out-of-this-world experience. Through imagery, color, touch, and smell, the immersive concept of this digital art successfully creates an entirely new relationship between people and art. We’re sensorially overwhelmed, deeply moved, and inspired all at once.
Anyone visiting Tokyo needs to make a stop there!
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