teamLab Borderless vs Planets: Which One Should You Visit?

Which teamLab should you pick?

"I find teamLab Planets better suited to families and children," says our Japan expert Mégane. Borderless is the quieter, more contemplative of the two. Both are in Tokyo, and they don't repeat each other.

Short answer: choose Planets if you want to wade barefoot through water, touch things and play, especially with kids. Choose Borderless if you want to wander slowly through rooms that flow into one another, and take photos. With only one free afternoon, let the people in your group decide, not the ticket price.

teamLab Planets vs Borderless: what is actually different?

Both belong to the same art collective, so the light, sound and digital flowers feel related. The way you move through them does not.

teamLab Planets

At Planets you walk barefoot through water and mirrored rooms, and the installations are separate from one another. Many are interactive: drawings come to life, and you climb, jump and slide. Something is always asking you to do something, which is why it works so well for children. Only Planets has the water rooms, so this is where you roll up your trousers.

Is it worth it? For most visitors, yes, and it's the one that sticks in kids' memory. Planets is scheduled to close at the end of 2027, according to travel blogs, after an earlier closing date was pushed back, so don't leave it for a later trip.

teamLab Borderless

Borderless is the calmer sibling. You take time to look at each room, each play of light, each change in the space. It's also built differently: you enter the teamLab universe and there's no real break until the end. Where Planets separates its installations, Borderless feels like crossing one world that keeps shifting.

It moved to Azabudai Hills in February 2024. The floors are flat and hard, and the museum is fully accessible, which makes it the easier pick with a stroller or a wheelchair.

Getting there: Borderless wins on logistics

Borderless is the clear winner here. It sits in Azabudai Hills, a two-minute walk from Exit 5 of Kamiyacho Station on the Hibiya Line. Restaurants, shops and museums are close by, so it slots neatly into a day of sightseeing around Roppongi.

Planets is in the Toyosu district, near Odaiba. The trip is still simple, but it generally takes more transfers, by monorail or metro depending on where you start. That's a small extra cost in time and money. If you're working out how the pieces of a Tokyo day fit together, our notes on planning a trip to Japan show how our experts group neighbourhoods so you cross the city once, not three times.

How much time and how long are the queues?

Allow 2 to 4 hours at Planets and 2 to 3 hours at Borderless. Is 2 hours enough for Borderless? Yes, if you move at a steady pace, but it's easy to stretch to 3 when a room catches you.

Tickets are timed, yet you should still allow about 30 extra minutes at Planets for the entry process, even with a booked slot. Borderless is open from 9:00 to 21:00, with last admission at 20:00. Planets hours change by day, typically opening at 9:00 or 10:00 and closing at 20:00 or 21:00. Check the live calendar on the official teamLab Planets site before you pick a date.

Go early or late in the day if you can. Midday slots and weekends are the busiest, and the rooms are much more enjoyable with room to move.

teamLab Borderless and Planets tickets and prices

Both museums sell timed tickets, so book ahead for the day and slot you want.

Prices are standard rates as of 2026. Some days cost more, and ticket resellers sometimes list Planets at up to ¥5,000, so check the date you want. Buying teamLab Borderless tickets or teamLab Planets tickets through the official sites or a trusted agent keeps you on the base rate.

Which teamLab is better for kids, couples and first-timers?

Kids: Planets. The installations are made to be touched and played with, so children rarely get bored, and the water rooms turn a museum visit into a game. Borderless works for older children who enjoy looking and photographing, but small ones tend to want more to do.

Couples and photography: Borderless. The rooms flow into each other, the lighting is soft and there's space to stop, look and frame a shot. It rewards a slow pace.

First-timers with one slot: go by priority. Travelling with young children or want something physical? Planets. Want the calmer, more atmospheric hour? Borderless.

Travelling with children? Our Japan experts can order the days so the teamLab visit lands when energy is high. For a wider plan, our guide to a first family trip to Japan covers pacing and what to book first.

What to wear and bring

For Planets, wear clothes that roll easily above the knees, since you'll be walking through water. The floors are mirrored, so choose trousers, or shorts under a dress. Shoes come off at the entrance.

Free lockers at the entrance take your bags, shoes and bulky items. Planets rooms are entered barefoot with nothing but your phone, which keeps the experience immersive and your things dry. Borderless has no water, and shoes stay on.

Doing both, and where to eat

The two are complementary, and you never see the same room twice. As Mégane puts it, there isn't really a right or wrong answer: the real question is what you're looking for, a more contemplative and photogenic visit with Borderless, or something more interactive and playful with Planets. Book them on different days so neither feels rushed.

For food, Azabudai Hills and Roppongi have a wide choice of local restaurants near Borderless. Near Planets, the Toyosu area has options such as vegetarian ramen right on site. Our Japan travel guide lists dishes worth trying across the country.

Our Japan experts can book your teamLab tickets and fit them into a tailor-made Tokyo itinerary. Tell us about your trip.