Borderless is another TeamLab offering that’s suitable for kids and families in Tokyo, and boasts amazing digital art and will have you wandering around immersed in amazing projections.
Review by Claire Davill
TeamLab Planets (see our review here) is more sensory-focused, but Borderless is a digital playground that will keep you and your kids occupied for hours.
While Planets follows a set route through several rooms with different physical installations, the exhibits in Borderless change, move and merge. You’ll find yourself moving down endless corridors and discovering new rooms, doubling back and finding different art in places you’ve already visited, and the optional tea house experience is something not to be missed.
If you visit the tea house, you’ll receive a drink and optional gelato. After the tea is placed on the table in front of you, flowers start to bloom in the tea, and will continue to bloom as long as there is liquid in your bowl. Branches and leaves sprout from the gelato, and butterflies flit around your drink. Most of the tea and gelato options are matcha (green tea) based, but there are chamomile and barley tea options that are more kid friendly. If your child doesn’t like the tea, we still recommend buying one for the experience – it might just mean more tea for the parents!
Most rooms consist of light and pattern projections on the walls and floor. These patterns respond to touch and movement. In one room, a small “hill” flows with streams of light, and kids (and adults) happily slide down the slopes. Expect to spend a long time in this room – the kids love it. Some rooms make use of mist and physical shapes, but most are projections on the walls and floor.
Other rooms include mirrored infinity spaces with bubble-like globes, and an ocean-themed room allows visitors to draw a creature of their choosing. Your drawing will be scanned and will appear on the wall, moving and interacting with your touch.
Things to Consider:
- You’ll need to book ahead of time, this is easily done via the TeamLabs website. You’ll receive a QR code on the day of entry, so make sure you have data on your phone.
- As with TeamLab Planets, we recommend booking the first session of the day if possible as it gets increasingly busy as the day goes on.
- It can get confusing inside Borderless, with no map. If you get lost, head to a corridor and look for signs directing you to the tea house or the exit.
- We highly recommend booking the EN Tea House as part of your ticket. There are limited on the day tickets. You can enjoy the tea house experience at any point in your visit.
- All instructions and signage are in English and Japanese, and staff communicate well in English if you have any queries.
- Keep a close eye on small children and make sure they don’t wander away from you.
- The exact location of Borderless can be tricky to find, as Google Maps lists two separate locations. Borderless is located in the Azubudai Hills Garden Plaza B building, the one closest to the main road. Borderless is downstairs from the street level entrance.
- Borderless is easily accessed via public transport, with the Kamiyacho metro station just down the road.
Read more about our adventures in Japan:
Japan for Families | Handy Tips & Information
Warner Bros Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter | Tokyo, Japan | Review
TeamLab Planets | Tokyo, Japan | Review
For more information and all enquiries please visit the TeamLab Borderless website
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: Play & Go Adelaide
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