Review: teamLab Planets Tokyo – An Explosion of the Mind
For many UK visitors, Tokyo is a city that already dazzles with neon brilliance, culinary wonders and cultural treasures at every turn. But even among its vast list of attractions, teamLab Planets Tokyo stands apart. It is not just a museum or gallery—it is an experience, an immersive world of digital art where technology, imagination, and the senses collide in ways that defy description.
CEO Today had heard the buzz before arrival… the Guinness World Record for most visited museum dedicated to a single art group, top Google rankings, accolades from the World Travel Awards. These are impressive achievements, but nothing quite prepares you for stepping inside.
From the very first installation, teamLab Planets demands that you participate, not simply observe. You remove your shoes, roll up your trousers and suddenly you’re walking through shallow pools of water as digital koi swirl around your feet. The projections respond to your movement in real time, making you part of the artwork. It feels at once futuristic and deeply human—technology used not as a barrier but as a bridge between people, art and nature.
teamLab, The Infinite Crystal Universe © teamLab
The installations are vast and varied, each one designed to jolt the senses and challenge perceptions. You move from mirrored infinity rooms that bend space into eternity, to towering floral spaces where orchids and vines hang from the ceiling and shift around you as you walk. In another room, glowing orbs float like planets, pulsing with light and sound as visitors gently push them across the space. Everywhere, the experience is interactive, playful and breathtaking.
And make no mistake—this is not just for children. If anything, adults seem even more enthralled. For many, the installations unlock a sense of wonder that feels both nostalgic and entirely new. It is rare to find an attraction that can make grown men and women laugh, gasp and find their inner child within minutes of stepping inside. teamLab Planets does exactly that.
What makes the experience so powerful is its universality. The works communicate directly, through light, sound, water and space. It feels as though you are walking through someone else’s dream, but discovering your dreams too.
teamLab, Rapidly Rotating Bouncing Spheres in the Caterpillar House © teamLab
teamLab has created something that is both a gallery and a playground, a meditation space and a spectacle. It makes you think about art, technology and your place in the world—all while being dazzlingly beautiful.
teamLab Planets is an explosion of the mind, a reminder that art is not just to be seen but to be lived. In short: you cannot leave Tokyo without paying a visit!
