2019/11/13
This is our last day in Tokyo, and early first thing in the morning, we are headed to the famous Teamlab Borderless in Odaiba!
Teamlab is an artist collective that specializes in light mapping technology to create interactive art galleries mainly showcasing the topics of nature and life. They've worked on projects and exhibitions all around the world and are popular among people of all ages.
There are currently two Teamlab exhibitions in Tokyo, the permanent Teamlab Borderless in Odaiba, and a limited time Teamlab Planets in Toyosu.
Tickets may be sold out due to their popularity, so make sure to purchase them in advance to avoid disappointment!
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In our attempt to beat the crowd, we made our way to Odaiba and headed to teamlab at around 10:00am. As we had expected, there was already a crowd waiting to enter (totally crazy considering it was a Tuesday morning in mid November...)
We originally reserved around 1-2 hours to spend here but there was so much more to explore and see! The entrance fee is quite pricey, set at 3200 yen for adults, but this place is definitely worth your time and money. I would highly recommend reserving half a day to check out the exhibition if you can fit it in your schedule!
There are multitudes of themed gallery rooms at Teamlab Borderless, such as the forest of lamps, led light rooms, athletic forest and etc. Since this location is a permanent exhibition, they apply seasonal changes to keep it fresh.
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Flower Forest
The first room we set our foot in blew our minds. Colourful flowers and petals floating and flying along the dark walls, suddenly we were transported to a beautiful flower paradise?!
The scenery is constantly moving and changing, so even if you stand in the same place, it would not be the same view as it was a minute ago. Everything was breathtakingly beautiful we stayed here for a good amount of time for pictures lol.
LOVE♥
Weightless Forest of Resonating Life
This area is made of large led balloons. They are bouncy and changes colour accordingly when touched. It may look tempting but please don't sit on them! (...I was told off while posing slightly sitting on top of one... lol)
Light Shell and Vortex
This dark closed off room is an exhibition of spotlights along the walls. My friend described it as a clubbing room, which, to be fair, does look somewhat like one. The floor is lined with mirrors and the lights changes direction, speed, colour, depending on the music.
Athletic Forest
The athletic forest is made up of various smaller interactive activity stations suitable for families with younger children. These include the light forest bouldering, multi jumping universe, a slide similar to fruit ninja, drawing stations, and etc.
These whales are stunning!
photo credits to Timeout.com
Most of these areas are smaller in size thus there is a limit to the number of participants at one time. You may be required to line up a bit so if time is tight, check the other rooms first!
En Tea house
Located right beside the entrance on the second floor is the En Tea House.
A special tea room spotlighting Japanese teas with Teamlab's lightmapping technology.
We purchased a bundle ticket and prepaid for our teas.
There are four options to choose from, two cold, two hot. We picked the cold brew green tea and green tea with yuzu.
The room is softly lit to provide visitors a better experience whilst the magic of the flowers slowly bloom in front of our eyes.
En Tea House can also be seen as another exhibit here at Teamlab Borderless. The projected lights are very interactive with the guests, make sure to wave your hands and move the bowl around if you do visit!
Isn't is just beautiful? :)
Crystal World
Lastly, crystal world! The room I was most looking forward to.
Walls and floors lined with mirrors and hundreds of led lights strung from the ceiling, it was definitely like walking in to a winter wonderland.
Through their app, guests can change up the colours of these lights as they wish. They didn't regulate the amount of people that are allowed to enter the room so it can get quite crowded.
Struggled really hard taking photos here lol, I only want the bright white light!!
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We were on a bit of a tight schedule that day so we didn't have time to visit all the rooms inside the exhibition. Forest of Lamps was one of the rooms we missed, make sure to make it a top priority as they limit the number of participants in the room, resulting in quite a line up outside.
One thing I wished they have was probably a map of the space. I like the concept of wanting exhibitor goers to explore and wander through the different environments, BUT, we were seriously lost trying to locate the exit LOL. Everywhere was dark and somehow kept going around in circles. I overheard some other people muttering the difficulty of finding the exit as well, glad we weren't the only ones haha...
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Some tips for those who are thinking of visiting!
1. Wear flat shoes
A certain area in the exhibit is made of slopes high and low, it can be slippery and unsafe for those in heeled shoes. They do offer free rentals inside before entering that area but requires the user to hold onto their own shoes as there are no lockers to store them.
2. Wear pants or knee length skirts
Some rooms have mirrors lined on the floor, make sure to wear suitable clothing if you don't want your undergarments reflected...
3. Arrive early
We arrived at the exhibit shortly after they open for the day at around 10am and there was already a crowd waiting to enter. Plan to arrive earlier if visiting on a tight schedule as they let guests into the building in small groups.
4. Check out the popular exhibits first
If it is your goal to go to that one instagrammable spot, make it a priority and visit first. Lines can get long and can be very time consuming, check out the busier exihibits first and come back to the others later to prevent any regrets.
5. Take your time and have fun
I would recommend booking at least have a day to enjoy what teamlab has to offer. The concept of the exhibition is to explore and have fun. All rooms are interactive so make the time to experience the art and details!
Teamlab Borderless
+81-(0)3-6368-4292
Odaiba Palette Town 2F, 1-3-8 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan
東京都江東区青海1-3-8 お台場パレットタウン 2階
♥ If you have any suggestions, questions or comments please let me know in the box below thanks :)
