teamLab Borderless: go early, take your time, and mind your footing

On January 1, 2020, Joanna and I walked into teamLab Borderless at about 9:40 in the morning and didn't come out until nearly 1 p.m. My Google review, written afterward, says it all: "Wow, go to this place, but COME EARLY! It's very popular and lines get long. One of the best parts of our trip to Tokyo."

I came home with about 120 clips: flower projections spilling across walls and floors, rooms of hanging light strands, laser beams cutting through the dark, glowing lamps, calligraphy brushstrokes painted in light, and flowers blooming inside tea bowls.

One thing has changed: the address

The museum we visited was in Odaiba. It closed there in 2022, and teamLab reopened Borderless at Azabudai Hills in central Tokyo on February 9, 2024. The concept is the same, a "museum without a map" where artworks move between rooms, but the building, the layout and some of the works are new. So treat my notes as advice on how to visit, not a room-by-room guide.

Book a timed ticket, and pick an early slot

• Tickets are timed and sold online on the official site. teamLab says they go on sale around the 1st of the month, two months ahead, and weekends and holidays sell out first.
• Once you're in, there's no time limit. teamLab suggests about two hours; we took about three, and I'd do the same again.
• The quietest times are generally the first slots of the morning and the last ones at night. Early was the best decision we made.
• Download the teamLab app before you go. Some popular rooms use it for numbered entry when it's busy.

For anyone with balance or vision issues

This is the part I wish someone had told me. teamLab is dark on purpose. Floors can be dim, mirrors make the edges of a room hard to judge, and moving projections can make the floor seem to shift under you.

• Wear shoes with good grip, and avoid anything long that could catch underfoot.
• The corridors between the big rooms are calmer and brighter. Use them to rest your eyes.
• There's no food sold inside apart from the tea house, and you can't bring food in. Eat first.

Filming and photos

You're allowed to take photos and video for personal use. I shot most of my clips on a Sony camera in 4K, which handled the low light well, plus our phones. A phone or small gimbal camera is the easier choice now: dark rooms plus a big camera plus crowds is a lot to manage.

• Expect to fill a card. I shot about 120 clips in one morning.
• Keep your phone charged; the app and the camera will both drain it.
• Be kind to other visitors: don't block doorways for a shot, and keep your flash off.

Nearby, for an easy day

Azabudai Hills is close to Tokyo Tower and Roppongi, and teamLab notes it's usually open until 9 p.m., so you can pair a morning here with a slow lunch and an afternoon rest at your hotel.

The kit for this guide

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Power & phone

Anker Nano Power Bank (10,000mAh, 45W, built-in cable)

Navigation, translation and photos can drain a phone by early afternoon. A 10,000mAh bank with its own cable means one less thing to forget.

Check price on Amazon →Details

Also in this guide

• DJI Osmo Pocket 3
• SanDisk Extreme microSD (128GB)

Opening hours, routes and rules change; check before you go.