teamLab Planets vs Borderless: Which One to Book in Tokyo
Updated October 27, 2026
Verdict
Pick Planets if you want the water and mirror rooms, a clear two-hour route and a visit before it closes at the end of 2027. Pick Borderless if you would rather stay dry, wander without a map, or are travelling with someone who cannot go barefoot. With time for one, most first-timers choose Planets for the water; with time for both, do them on different days.
teamLab runs two museums in Tokyo, and they are not two versions of the same thing. teamLab Planets in Toyosu is a museum "where you walk through water", barefoot, along one route through large works; teamLab Borderless at Azabudai Hills is a maze of rooms with no set route, where works move from room to room. Planets welcomed about 2.51 million visitors in 2025 and Borderless about 1.69 million (teamLab). Both use timed tickets that are not sold at the door, and both are run by teamLab.
| Criterion | teamLab Planets | teamLab Borderless |
|---|---|---|
| The experience | Barefoot, through knee-deep water, mirrored floors and soft floors, on one route | Dry, with shoes on, through interconnected rooms with no set route |
| Location | Toyosu, 3 min from Shin-Toyosu (Yurikamome) | Azabudai Hills, 2 min from Kamiyacho (Hibiya Line) |
| Adult price (official) | From ¥3,800 (about $24) | From ¥3,400 (about $22) |
| Junior / child | ¥2,800 / ¥1,500 | ¥2,800 / ¥1,500 |
| Hours | 08:00-22:00, last entry 21:00 | 08:30-21:00 (to 22:00 on listed dates), last entry 1 hour before closing |
| Open until | End of 2027 (official term) | Permanent, open since 9 February 2024 |
| Untimed ticket | Premium Pass ¥12,000, priority entry | Flexible Pass ¥12,000 |
| Mobility | Transfer to in-house wheelchair; detours around water works | Staff guide wheelchair users by floor condition; no water |
The core difference: water and bare feet against wandering rooms
At Planets you leave your shoes in a locker and walk through the works: water rises to knee height in some, the floor is a mirror in others, and one is a soft sculpture that sinks under your feet. The order is fixed. Borderless is built on the opposite idea: teamLab describes artworks that "move out of rooms", relate to other works and intermingle, creating "one continuous world without boundaries". You choose your own way through and can lose track of where you have been, which is the point. If you want a guided feel and the water, Planets; if you like to explore, Borderless.
Location and getting there
The two are on opposite sides of central Tokyo. Planets is on the bay at Toyosu 6-1-16, three minutes from Exit 1A of Shin-Toyosu on the Yurikamome, or ten from Toyosu on the Yurakucho Line. Borderless is in Azabudai Hills Garden Plaza B, two minutes from Exit 5 of Kamiyacho on the Hibiya Line, and six from Roppongi-itchome on the Namboku Line, linked by an underground passage (teamLab). Neither has its own parking. Planets pairs with Toyosu Market; Borderless with Roppongi and Tokyo Tower.
Price and booking
Both use dynamic pricing for adults. Planets starts at ¥3,800 (about $24) and Borderless at ¥3,400 (about $22); junior and child prices are the same at both, ¥2,800 and ¥1,500, and under-4s go free. Both sell an untimed ¥12,000 ticket. Neither sells tickets at the museum, and both let you change the date of an official ticket up to three times. Borderless's official page names only its own site and Klook as official sales channels. Book Planets through the teamLab Planets tickets page or the official Ticket Store.
Time needed
Plan about two hours inside Planets plus the entry queue (see how long teamLab Planets takes). Borderless has no set route, so it takes as long as you let it; teamLab publishes no expected length for either. Both stay open into the evening, so they can share a day, but it is a long one: the two are across town from each other.
Who each suits: kids, photographers and mobility
Children love both; Planets has its Athletics Forest play works and the water, which small children enjoy but need a change of clothes for, and the inseam rule keeps under-40 cm children off the koi water work unless carried. Photographers get mirror rooms at Planets and big projected spaces at Borderless; both ban tripods. For limited mobility, Planets asks wheelchair users to transfer to an in-house chair and detour around some works; Borderless has no water, though staff still decide access to some floors. Visitors with light sensitivity should be careful at both.
Doing both in one trip
If you have the time, yes, on different days or with a long break between. Start with Planets while it lasts: its term ends at the end of 2027, while Borderless is listed as permanent. Book each on its own: there is no official combined ticket listed on either page.
Frequently asked questions
Which teamLab is better in Tokyo?
Neither is better outright. Planets is the water, barefoot, set-route museum; Borderless is the dry, wander-anywhere one. For one visit, choose by whether you want to get your feet wet.
Is 2 hours enough for teamLab Borderless?
It can be, but with no set route there is no natural end point, so leave slack. For Planets, two hours covers the route.
Can you do teamLab Planets and Borderless in one day?
Yes, both open into the evening, but they are across the city from each other. Leave a long gap and book Planets first.
Is there a combined ticket for both?
Neither official page lists one. Each museum sells its own timed tickets.
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