TeamLab Planets Tokyo

Are you looking to have the most unique and fun activities while you are visiting Tokyo? Well, one of the most fun, out-of-this-world activities we did was TeamLab Planets!

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One of our favorite places in the world is Japan. Why? Because it is all at once exotic, other-worldly, well thought out, and just plain fun! And what better place to experience all of what Japan is to us than TeamLab Planets.

Just like their love of themed restaurants, animal cafés, public baths, serene temples and shrines, and even Pokémon, whatever the Japanese want to do, they do it to perfection. TeamLab Planets in Tokyo is certainly a great example of this. It’s just a WOW!

In this article:

• What is TeamLab Planets?
• What there is to do
• Our Experience
• Activity Rating for TeamLab Planets
• How to Get There
• Visitor Information
• Things to Do Nearby

What is TeamLab Planets?

I’d be very surprised if you hadn’t heard of TeamLab Planets before planning your trip to Tokyo. It’s kind of a museum, kind of an interactive activity, kind of an out-of-this-world feeling. It’s all at once mesmerizing, trippy, wet, colorful, and best of all, fun.

What there is to do at TeamLab Planets

Just like a typical Haunted House experience you had as a kid, TeamLab Planets is set up in a dark building, with a path to walk through the various rooms. The big difference is, it’s not scary at all. It’s awe-inspiring, beautiful, and well…just different.

The path takes you through a number of rooms with different themes. There are whole rooms that have different types of light shows, some as simple as crystal-like strings of light that hang down and change colors, to full on laser-light shows that flash across the room in every direction.

Of course, there are the water features that are pretty cool. First, you are kind of walking through a man-made stream to a waterfall. Then you are knee-deep in a full-on pool where the lights show the lotus flowers and colorful koi swimming around.

Some of the rooms are just weird…in a good way. There’s the moss garden where you walk through a path between silver “microcosms” strewn throughout. Why? Who cares. It’s a blast, and you can get some very interesting selfies, that’s for sure.

One of the prettiest parts of the path takes you through a hanging garden. The plants in this room are real and you will see blooming orchids, flowers of all shapes and colors. The floor is a mirror, so you can really feel like you are a part of the garden.

One of the weirdest rooms, for me, whad a bouncy-castle type, sponge material for a floor. It was probably about four feet thick and you had to walk across the room to get out of the other side. I have to admit with my knees, it was a bit difficult, but my daughter helped me across, and all in all it was still amusing. Everyone in the family with normal knees thought it was super fun.

There is a café on sight where you can have some noodles, in true Japanese fashion. We didn’t eat at this one, but the TeamLab Borderless we had been to before had a fun light show while you ate, so I would imagine it’s got something going on with it as well, if you are interested.

Our Experience at TeamLab Planets

I can’t say enough about our experience at TeamLab Planets. There were five of us visiting, with the youngest being our grandson who was almost three.

When we first arrived, we stood in the line, even though we had timed tickets. And in true Japanese fashion, when it was time for our time frame, people just let us walk into the correct line. So easy.

Once inside, your time group stands in the black entryway to get a quick briefing where you must take off your shoes and put most of your belongings into a locker.

Note: It’s also where the bathrooms are, so take advantage.

Once you take everything off and stow it away, you begin on the marked path. There are signs everywhere to remind you that you will get wet. Don’t wear socks, and having shorts on is probably your best bet. With AJ, we just took him with his shirt and diaper, because we knew he was going to get very wet.

There are a few spots that you can choose which way to go, but we just basically followed the majority, and I think we saw and did it all. If I had known about the spongey room being difficult for me, I might have bypassed it because that is an option.

AJ was a little frightened in some of the rooms because of the mirrored floor. He was afraid he would fall. He soon got used to it, though, and by the time he got to the glowing spheres room, he was all in.

Our Activity Rating for TeamLab Planets

There is nothing we didn’t love about this activity, and we would go back again. That’s for sure.

We’ve learned that when there are timed entries, and there is a large group of people, to hang back a little and let them go ahead. It gives us a chance to take the photos we want to take and not feel like we are being pushed.

Many of the rooms, once you are in them, are very large, and it’s pretty easy to get a corner or space where there are not that many people around you.

We went in the middle of the week, and the activity was sold out. Pre-purchasing tickets online is a must. Once you are inside the building, you have as much time as you want to go through. Most people take about two hours, but you can be there for much more if you wish. Therefore, signing up for an earlier entrance will be the least crowded.

How to Get There

It’s best to take public transportation. It’s pretty far from other neighborhoods, so it would be a costly taxi ride, although, it’s definitely one way to do it.

Taking the train is simple though. It’s only a one minute walk, across the street from the Shin-Toyosu Station or a 10 minute walk from the main Toyosu Station.

Visitor’s Information

Address: Toyosu 6-1-16, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Hours: Everyday 9:00 – 22:00

For up-to-date information, and tickets, visit their website.

Things to Do Nearby

Tokyo is filled with amazing things to do, but TeamLab Planets is kind of far from a lot of things. It is, however, only a five minute walk from the Toyosu Fish Market, which we highly recommend.

You can either make reservations for the fish market, then have a sushi breakfast before heading over to TeamLab Planets, or you can go afterwards and explore the market, do some shopping, and yes, eat fresh sushi for lunch.

Conclusion

Whether you are planning a vacation or just visiting on business, you are going to love the amazing things you can do and see in Tokyo. One of the most fun is definitely TeamLab Planets. Don’t hesitate, make your reservations now!

Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.