If you are visiting Tokyo with teenagers or pre-teens, a visit to a teamLab digital art museum is a must. After doing a little online research, I chose to book tickets for teamLab Borderless. teamLab also has another museum in Tokyo called Planets. Planets is known for an orchid exhibit and one where you walk barefoot through water. That sounded kind of gross to me, but the main reason I chose Borderless was because it is bigger and has more exhibits. Planets is set to expire in 2027 while Borderless is currently set as “permanent”, so that may also factor into your decision-making.
teamLab Borderless Know Before You Go
Make sure to buy your tickets online, well in advance. Tickets are not sold at the venue. Our tickets were for 1:30 entry on a Thursday afternoon. It felt crowded, but not overly so. Also, double-check the Borderless website for the exact address, as I read that Google Maps may lead you astray if you just type in “teamLab Borderless”. (We did rely heavily on Google Maps throughout our trip and it made transportation SO much easier. I am not even sure how we survived during our 2011 trip without it!)
You will need to place all of your personal belongings in a locker before you enter the exhibits, so bring along a 100 yen coin. (The coin will be returned to you when you return the key). If you want to go to the tea house located inside the museum, bring a credit card or money so that you can pay for it (of course, it is a good idea not to leave your wallet in the locker anyway). Also, be sure to bring your phone so you can take lots of pictures!
Getting Lost In teamLab Borderless
As the name “Borderlss” implies, this museum encourages wandering and exploration. There is no set path to follow, which makes it easy to get lost. If you are with small children, be sure to keep them close! The rooms are all dark and all the light displays are quite disorienting. I purposely did not watch any YouTube vlogs about Borderless beforehand so that I could feel a sense of discovery.
One tip I read was to wear light-colored clothing to maximize the lighting effects in photos.
Another tip is not to wear a skirt or dress since there are mirrored floors. k wore shorts under her shorts!
This is one of the few pictures of the four of us all together from the trip.
D got into the selfie action too.
En Tea House
If you have time, I would recommend stopping in at En Tea House, which is located inside teamLab Borderless. I had a Cold Brew Yuzu Green Tea, and it was a nice and refreshing break. As you drink, flowers appear to bloom in your teacup. Looking online, it seems like they have since added rice milk tea lattes, which also sound good. The room is dark, and there is eerie music to set the mood. I believe that everyone in your party needs to order something, but I thought it was well worth the experience.