teamLab Borderless vs Planets

The one-line answer

If you're short on patience: book Borderless if you want the central, dry, free-to-wander mirrored-art spectacle near Roppongi, and Planets if you want the barefoot, wade-through-water, body-in-the-art experience out in Toyosu. Most people pick by location and willingness to get their feet wet, and that one decision settles it.

Below we compare them properly — location, vibe, time, photos and clothing, family fit, accessibility and tickets — and answer the most common 'which one?' questions. For the full detail on either, the individual venue guides go deeper; this page exists to help you choose between them.

teamLab Borderless

The full guide to the Azabudai Hills venue.

teamLab Planets

The full guide to the Toyosu venue.

Location and access

Borderless sits inside Azabudai Hills, beside Roppongi — central, reachable on the Hibiya and Namboku subway lines via Roppongi-Itchōme and Kamiyachō, and surrounded by Tokyo's densest art cluster. That makes it the easy choice if you want to combine teamLab with the Mori Art Museum, the National Art Center and the rest of the Roppongi art triangle in one day.

Planets is in Toyosu on Tokyo Bay, a short walk from Shin-Toyosu on the elevated Yurikamome line and near Toyosu Station on the Yūrakuchō subway. It's further from the centre and reads as a half-day excursion, but its location is a feature: it pairs naturally with Toyosu Market, the bay setting is uncrowded, and the Yurikamome ride out is scenic. For a central, art-dense day choose Borderless; for a bay-side morning of market-plus-art choose Planets.

• Borderless — Azabudai Hills, central, by Roppongi; pairs with the Roppongi art triangle.
• Planets — Toyosu, east on the bay; a half-day out that pairs with Toyosu Market.

Roppongi Art Triangle

Why Borderless slots into a central art day.

Toyosu Market

The natural companion to a Planets visit.

Vibe, time and what you do

Borderless is about wandering. There's no fixed map; works move between rooms and you roam to find them on normal floors, in the dark, taking as long as you like. It's the more open-ended, exploratory visit, and because there's no set route, people often spend longer — roughly 1.5 to 3 hours is typical.

Planets is more guided and more physical. You go barefoot through a largely linear sequence — soft sloping floors, a knee-deep water room, mirrored light, suspended-orchid and moss gardens — so the visit is shorter and more of a single arc, around 1 to 2 hours including drying off. Borderless rewards curiosity and time; Planets rewards being present in your body. If 'I want to roam and get lost' describes you, that's Borderless; if 'I want to feel it underfoot' does, that's Planets.

• Borderless — free-roam, dry, no fixed route; ~1.5–3 hours; exploratory.
• Planets — largely linear, barefoot, wet; ~1–2 hours; immersive and physical.

Photos, clothing and family fit

Both venues are photogenic and generally allow photography without flash or tripods, so a phone is enough at either. The clothing rules differ, though. At Planets you'll get wet to about knee height and walk barefoot, so wear shorts or trousers you can roll up high; long, tight legwear and long skirts are awkward, and loaner garments exist as a backup. At Borderless you stay dry and shod, but mirrored floors mean skirts and dresses can be reflected from below — trousers or shorts are the comfortable call, and light clothing photographs well in the projected colour at both.

For families, both can delight children, but weigh the practicalities. Planets's water and barefoot floors are a hit with many kids but mean wet clothes and closer supervision; Borderless's dark, crowd-prone rooms can disorient very small children, though there's no water to manage. Check each venue's current notes on young children, strollers and any age thresholds when you book, as these vary.

• Photos — both fine without flash/tripod; a phone suffices.
• Planets clothing — shorts/roll-up trousers for the water; loaners as backup.
• Borderless clothing — dry, but mind mirrored floors; trousers/shorts over skirts.
• Families — Planets = water fun but wet kids; Borderless = dry but dark/crowded; check age and stroller notes.

Tickets, accessibility and doing both

Both sell timed-entry tickets that go fast at peak times, so the strategy is the same: book a dated slot on teamLab's official site in advance, buy from the official channel to avoid resale mark-ups, and verify current prices and any discounts when you book. Whichever you choose, make the slot the fixed point your day is built around.

On accessibility, the venues differ in ways worth checking directly: Borderless is dry with normal (if dark and sometimes stepped) floors, while Planets involves barefoot walking, soft sloping surfaces and water, which is harder for some visitors — confirm specific accessibility provisions with the official site before booking if it matters to you.

Can you do both? Yes, and plenty do — but they're across the city from each other, so treat them as two separate outings with their own slots: for example, a central Roppongi morning at Borderless and a Toyosu afternoon at Planets, or split across two days. Don't try to back them onto one rushed afternoon. If you only have time for one, fall back on the one-line answer at the top: central and dry, pick Borderless; bay-side and barefoot, pick Planets.

• Both timed-entry and sell out — book official, in advance; verify prices.
• Accessibility differs (Planets = barefoot/water/sloping floors) — confirm with the venue.
• Doing both: two separate slots, ideally different parts of the day or two days.

Tickets & Reservations

How timed entry and advance booking work across Tokyo attractions.

Which teamLab should I choose if I only have time for one?

Choose Borderless (at Azabudai Hills, near Roppongi) if you want the central, dry, free-to-wander mirrored-art spectacle and the classic infinity-room photos. Choose Planets (in Toyosu) if you want the barefoot, wade-through-water, body-in-the-art experience.

Most people decide on two simple questions: do you want to stay central and dry, or head out to the bay and get your feet wet? That one call settles it.

Can you visit teamLab Borderless and Planets in one day?

Yes, and plenty of people do — but they're on opposite sides of the city, so treat them as two separate outings with their own timed-entry slots. A workable plan is a central Roppongi morning at Borderless and a Toyosu afternoon at Planets, or splitting them across two days.

Don't try to cram both into one rushed afternoon. Both venues sell timed tickets that go fast at peak times, so book each official slot in advance and build your day around them.

What should I wear to teamLab Planets?

At Planets you walk barefoot and wade through water to about knee height, so wear shorts or trousers you can roll up high. Long, tight legwear and long skirts are awkward; loaner garments are available as a backup if needed.

At Borderless you stay dry and shod, but the mirrored floors mean skirts and dresses can be reflected from below — trousers or shorts are the comfortable choice. Light-coloured clothing photographs well in the projected colour at both venues.

Do I need to book teamLab tickets in advance?

Yes. Both venues use timed-entry tickets that sell out at peak times, so book a dated slot on teamLab's official site ahead of your visit, and buy from the official channel to avoid resale mark-ups.

Hours, closed days and prices change at both venues, so verify the current details on the official site when you book, and make your entry slot the fixed point your day is built around.