teamLab Planets, booked before it sells out

teamLab Planets sells timed slots only, and on a busy weekend they go three weeks ahead. You walk through it barefoot, wade through a room of water with digital koi swimming past your shins, and lie under a sphere of falling light. Tickets start at ¥3,600, the date matters more than the price, and Planets is scheduled to close at the end of 2027. Here's how to book it right, and what to do when your date shows sold out.

In 3 minutes, you'll know:

• What an Entrance Pass costs, official versus reseller
• What to do when the official store is sold out for your date
• Which slot to pick, and how Planets differs from Borderless

How much are teamLab Planets tickets?

The official store is DMM, and the standard Entrance Pass starts at ¥3,600 for adults aged 18 and over. Pricing is dynamic, so weekends and peak dates run higher. Junior high and high school students pay ¥2,800, children aged 4 to 12 pay ¥1,500, and under-3s enter free but still need a registered ticket on busy days. There is a ¥12,000 Premium Pass that adds priority entry, which is only worth it on a sold-out peak day.

Authorized resellers sell the same admission at a similar base price. GetYourGuide lists it from €19 and Klook from around $24. The ticket is identical because it comes from the same official allocation. What changes is the currency you pay in and, more usefully, the inventory you can reach.

What do you do if teamLab Planets is sold out?

Don't assume the date is gone. Resellers hold their own ticket allocation, so a slot that reads sold out on DMM can still be live on GetYourGuide or Klook. Check those before you change your plans. This is the same pattern that catches people out at Versailles and the big Van Gogh shows, where the official site fills first and the resellers quietly hold the overflow.

If every platform is empty, timing is your lever. DMM releases new dates on the 1st of each month, roughly two months ahead, in one batch. Set a reminder for the 1st, log in early, and book the moment the calendar opens. Weekend and holiday slots from that release are the first to disappear, often within days for cherry blossom season, Golden Week, and Obon.

When is the best time to go?

Pick a weekday, and pick an edge of the day. The first slot in the morning has the thinnest crowds and the cleanest water before hundreds of feet have passed through it. The last slots, around 19:00 and the final 20:30 entry, thin out again as families leave. A Tuesday or Wednesday evening is the quietest window most visitors miss.

Avoid Saturday and Sunday between noon and 5pm, the absolute peak, when you spend more time queuing between rooms than inside them. One more trick: a rainy day is a gift here. The whole museum is indoors, but most tourists see rain in the forecast and move teamLab to a clearer day, so a wet Tuesday can feel half-empty.

teamLab Planets vs teamLab Borderless: which one?

They are two different museums in two different parts of Tokyo, and people book the wrong one constantly. Here's the honest split.

teamLab Planets is in Toyosu, on the bay. It's barefoot and partly water-based, you follow one fixed route through about seven rooms, and the whole thing takes most people 60 to 90 minutes. The water rooms and the mirrored sphere room are the images you've seen. It's structured, sensory, and easy with kids, and it's scheduled to close at the end of 2027, which makes 2026 one of the last full years to see it.

teamLab Borderless is in Azabudai Hills, closer to central Tokyo with easier transport. It's dry, with no water rooms, and it's built as a maze with no set path. Artworks wander between rooms and you wander after them, which rewards an unhurried two hours and a sense of getting pleasantly lost. It reopened in early 2024 and is a permanent fixture.

If you want the famous wade-through-water photos and a clear route, choose Planets. If you'd rather explore freely and skip the barefoot logistics, choose Borderless. Both sell out, so book either three to four weeks ahead in high season. Doing both in one trip works well, but not in one day, because each deserves its own slot.

What to expect: barefoot, water, and mirrors

Plan for the logistics, because they catch people off guard. You go barefoot from the entrance, so you store your shoes in a locker. Bring or wear trousers you can roll above the knee, since the water in some rooms rises to knee height. Skip skirts and dresses entirely: several rooms have mirrored floors, and the design assumes everyone is in trousers or shorts.

Your ticket is a timed entry, and you're admitted within a 30-minute window from the time printed on it. There are no refunds for late arrival, so build in buffer for the trip out to Toyosu. The QR voucher arrives by email, usually a couple of days before, and you show it at the gate. It's not suitable if you have heart conditions, epilepsy, or light sensitivity, given the strobing installations.

Frequently asked questions

How much are teamLab Planets tickets in 2026?

The official DMM Entrance Pass starts at ¥3,600 for adults (18+), with dynamic pricing that rises on weekends and peak dates. Junior high and high school students pay ¥2,800, children aged 4 to 12 pay ¥1,500, and under-3s are free. A Premium Pass with priority entry is ¥12,000. Resellers like GetYourGuide and Klook sell the same admission from roughly €19 to $24.

How far in advance do I need to book teamLab Planets tickets?

Book one to two weeks ahead for a regular weekday, and three to four weeks ahead for weekends, cherry blossom season, Golden Week, and Obon. The official calendar releases new dates on the 1st of each month, about two months out, so the best slots open in a predictable burst. There is no same-day walk-up window.

What do I do if teamLab Planets is sold out for my date?

Check GetYourGuide and Klook before giving up. Resellers hold their own ticket allocation, so a date that shows sold out on the official DMM store can still have slots on a reseller. If everything is gone, the 1st of the month is when the next batch of dates is released, so set a reminder and book the moment they appear.

Is teamLab Planets or teamLab Borderless better?

Planets in Toyosu is barefoot, water-based, and follows one fixed route, which suits families and first-timers who want the signature wade-through-water rooms. Borderless in Azabudai Hills is dry, maze-like, and made for wandering with no set path. If you can only do one and want the photos everyone knows, pick Planets. Planets is also scheduled to close at the end of 2027.

What should I wear to teamLab Planets?

Wear trousers you can roll above the knee, because some rooms have water that rises to knee height and you go barefoot throughout. Avoid skirts and dresses: several rooms have mirrored floors. Lockers are available for shoes and small bags, and shorts or rolled-up trousers save you fumbling at the entrance.

Booking the rest of Tokyo? The Tokyo Skytree tickets guide covers the city's tallest view, the Skytree vs Tokyo Tower comparison settles which tower is worth your evening, and the Tokyo visit guides hub has the rest of the planning.