"teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM" in Toyosu, Tokyo, which was also recognized as "Asia's Leading Tourist Attraction 2023" by the "World Travel Awards" in September 2023. We covered the popular spot where the renewal of the works and the extension of the session until the end of 2027 were announced!
Enjoy the artworks barefoot and without carrying anything! Immerse yourself in art at the "museum where you enter the water, and a garden that integrates with flowers"
"teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM" (hereinafter referred to as teamLab Planets) is located a 10-minute walk from Toyosu Station, where places like Toyosu Market are located, and a 1-minute walk from the new transportation Yurikamome Shin-Toyosu Station.This is a popular spot where you can enjoy a new art experience, consisting of the "Water Area" with four huge artwork spaces and the "Garden" with two gardens, all created by the art group teamLab.
The major differences from other teamLab museums are that all the artworks in the museum are viewed barefoot, and the order of viewing the artworks is clearly defined.
First, watch a brief video explaining the inside of the venue at the entrance. By the way, the venue explanation was also subtitled in English and Chinese.
In the Water Area exhibit, there is an area where even adults can be immersed in water up to their knees. Therefore, aside from recording devices such as mobile phones, all other items should be stored in lockers. You should enter the viewing area barefoot.
By the way, there is also an area where the entire floor is mirrored. If you are wearing a skirt, they provide half pants for free, so you should change into them.
Water Area - Start your art appreciation by cleansing your feet with water! You can have the best immersive experience in a world created by water, light, and sound
Upon entering the Water Area, before reaching the main exhibit, you will first pass through a pitch-black corridor with only blue-white lights at your feet, and through features such as "Waterfall of Light Particles at the Top of an Incline" and "Soft Black Hole".
Who would have thought that coming to an art museum would involve climbing up a slope where water is suddenly flowing down, or walking on a floor where everything is soft and your feet sink in! This is apparently to open the senses of modern people who are used to the concrete jungle and flat roads of the city before viewing the artwork. After cleansing your feet with waterfall water and preparing your body for experiencing art through moderate exercise, it's time to head to "The Infinite Crystal Universe".
"The Infinite Crystal Universe" is one of the most famous works in teamLab Planets. It is a work themed on pointillism, which expresses paintings with a collection of points. The universe space that spreads infinitely is expressed with the light of crystals hanging from the ceiling, changes in color and sound, and the walls and floors are mirrored. Visitors can feel as if they are exploring planets while walking around the viewing area.
Also, by using the exhibition app 'teamLab' by teamLab, viewers can throw in their favorite stars from their smartphones, creating a new artwork space. The artwork is constantly being created and changed, influenced by the participants in the space, the type of stars thrown in, and the location where they were thrown. It is truly a work where you can enjoy what is called '*ichi go ichi e' in Japanese.
*"一期一会" (ichi go ichi e) 'Once in a lifetime' -refers to a unique opportunity or encounter
By the way, when the author took a picture with an Android smartphone during the coverage, it was able to be captured like this.
Also, in one corner of the viewing area, there is a photo spot where you can take beautiful silhouette photos with the artwork in the background due to the backlighting. It seems fun to take pictures of each other with family or groups.
After fully enjoying "The Infinite Crystal Universe", you move on to the next piece through a narrow passage where only your feet are lit in the dark. At teamLab Planets, as the name suggests, each piece is a different planet, like a different world in a different space, and visitors can enjoy art as if they were on a planet trip by moving through this corridor to each piece. In fact, there are differences in the scents of the works and passages, making it a truly sensory art space!
Once you cross the aisle, next is "Drawing on the Water Surface Created by the Dance of Koi and People", where you can enjoy the artwork while walking on the water surface. The water surface reflects colorful koi, and when they bump into people, the koi turn into seasonal flowers and scatter. As people move, koi swim around them, and lines are drawn in their wake, making the water surface look like a canvas. Koi and new flowers are constantly being drawn. By the way, during our coverage, the koi transformed into chrysanthemums, a representative flower of autumn.
After viewing "Ephemeral Solidified Light", proceed to appreciate "Expanding Three-dimensional Existence in Transforming Space - Flattening 3 Colors and 9 Blurred Colors" and "Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers".
"Expanding Three-dimensional Existence in Transforming Space - Flattening 3 Colors and 9 Blurred Colors" is a work that has been renewed this time. In this work, the space is filled with spheres of light, and when you push the sphere with your hand, the color changes. It's a work where the color change is transmitted throughout the room. When you push the sphere, not only the color but also the unique tone of the color sounds, so please enjoy the change of color and sound by pushing various spheres.
"Floating in the Falling Universe of Flowers" is a work of flowers of the four seasons that continues to be drawn in real time. It can be viewed with a sense of being in a planetarium, but the work is projected not only on the ceiling but also on the entire floor. It feels as if you are thrown into a universe where flowers are dancing and you can experience a strange sense of floating.
Once you have finished viewing all the works in the Water Area, there are two works left in the Garden. By the way, even people in wheelchairs can view the works, including those that are immersed in the water surface, by switching to a dedicated wheelchair in the Water Area.
Garden - Truly Planets! Enjoy a different world where nature and digital become one in two works, both outdoors and indoors
teamLab "Floating Flower Garden: Flowers and I are of the Same Root, the Garden and I are One" ©teamLab
The works that can be appreciated in the Garden are "Moss Garden of Resonating Microcosms - Solidified Light Color, Dusk to Dawn" and "Floating Flower Garden: Flowers and I are of the Same Root, the Garden and I are One".
"Moss Garden of Resonating Microcosms - Solidified Light Color, Dusk to Dawn" is a large-scale garden work created on an outdoor site, and you can enjoy completely different atmospheres during the day and at night.
During the day, an installation of countless silver egg-shaped objects lines the moss garden. After sunset, each egg emits light, changing and spreading color when touched. As the interview was conducted during the night, we were able to capture a fantastical space where colorful light eggs lined up in the dark.
When you push this egg-shaped object by hand, all the colors change to the same color at once! If you leave it for a while, as introduced in the photo above, it will change back to different colors for each egg.
In the darkness, the work of art with colorful, glowing eggs was fantastical.
What particularly surprised us was the last piece we saw, "Floating Flower Garden: Flowers and I are of the Same Root, the Garden and I are One". Over 13,000 real epiphytic orchids fill the space, and as visitors approach the flowers, they gradually start to float. As you move deeper into the space, you find yourself surrounded by flowers.
Orchids are said to be the last plants to appear on Earth and have the most varieties among all plants. During our visit, as we walked through the epiphytic orchids blooming in mid-air and stopped to admire them, we found ourselves surrounded by orchids on all sides, making our feel as if we had come to play on a planet of flowers!
Enjoy Vegan Ramen and Japanese Drinks after the Show! Experience Special Japanese Cuisine while Watching the Artwork
Another attraction of teamLab Planets is the vegan ramen from Vegan Ramen UZU Tokyo. This vegan ramen shop originated in Kyoto, and you can enjoy ramen in the teamLab's art spaces "Reversible Rotation - Non-Objective Space", "Table of Sky and Fire", and "One Stroke Bench". During the coverage, we were allowed to taste the ramen in the "Reversible Rotation - Non-Objective Space", where skywriting is drawn in the indoor space. The special miso ramen with a hint of sesame, spiced with Japanese pepper and other spices, is served with brightly colored boiled vegetables such as mushrooms, tomatoes, and broccoli, and it was very satisfying.
For those who love sweets, we recommend vegan ice cream! There are unique Japanese flavors such as pistachio green tea and kinako (roasted soybean flour) coffee (non-caffeine), and the rich and smooth texture and melt-in-your-mouth feel are attractive. In addition, you can also enjoy drinks from the popular tea leaf brand EN TEA, so you can enjoy authentic Japanese tea along with vegan ramen and ice cream.
The orchids used in the exhibition and EN TEA's tea can also be purchased at the teamLab Flower Shop & Art, so be sure to check out the restaurant and shop after viewing the art!
Book your tickets in advance! Especially on weekends and during the holiday season, reservations are a must
Recently, teamLab Planets, which has been attracting a lot of attention from famous influencers and celebrities from abroad, has been attracting a lot of attention. Even on a weekday evening when the author visited for an interview, there were quite a few visitors and the venue was crowded.
Especially, tickets for mornings, weekends, and opening hours are popular, so if you have plans for a trip to Japan, try to secure your tickets on the WEB as soon as possible. Tickets can be purchased on various websites such as the official teamLab website and KLOOK.
By the way, new works are scheduled to be added sequentially during the period until 2027, and there is a possibility that the works currently on display will be brushed up to different contents like this renewal. We hope you will visit many times during the exhibition period and enjoy the evolving art space.
Information
teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM
- Exhibition period: July 7, 2018 (Sat) - end of 2027
- Access: 1 minute walk from Shin-Toyosu Station, 10 minutes walk from Toyosu Station and LaLaport Toyosu
teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM
- Opening hours: All day 9:00 - 22:00
- ※November 3rd 10:00 - 22:00, December 31st 9:00 - 21:00
- ※Last admission is one hour before closing, you may have to wait for 30 to 90 minutes at the time of admission.
Vegan Ramen UZU Tokyo, teamLab Flower Shop & Art
- All day 10:30 - 19:00
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