Walk through the most visited single-artist museum in the world
No map, and the art moves
teamLab Borderless reopened in Azabudai Hills in January 2024 after leaving its original Odaiba site. It is a permanent installation by teamLab, a collective working in digital art since 2001.
Why it's unique
teamLab took the Guinness World Record for the most visited museum in the world dedicated to a single group or artist here in 2019, on figures of 2,198,284 visitors against the Van Gogh Museum's 2,134,778 and the Picasso Museum's 1,072,887. The title has since moved to teamLab Planets, its sister venue in Toyosu.
The reason it is not simply a projection show is in the name. There is no map and no set route, because the works are not confined to rooms. A piece will leave one space, move along a corridor and enter another, and the works interact with each other and with where you stand. You cannot see a fixed itinerary because there is not one.
Before you go
Wear something you do not mind being projected on, and avoid skirts. Several floors are mirrored, and it is a known problem that surprises people.
Dark clothing swallows the projections. White or light colours turn you into part of the work, which sounds like a gimmick and is the actual experience.
Book a timed slot well ahead. Entry is capped and it sells out, particularly at weekends. Allow three hours; nearly everyone underestimates it.