I am not normally one to gush over an art exhibition. I enjoy art museums, and certainly get satisfaction from art in general, but it is rare that I am so taken by an art display that I recommend it wholeheartedly to everyone I know. Well, this one raises the bar.

In doing the research for this family trip to Japan, two of the group independently stumbled upon a brand new digital art exhibition in Tokyo called TeamLab Borderless. (I am not one of those two.) TeamLab advertises itself as an international digital art collective, although the majority of their current museums, shows, and random pieces are here in Japan. Borderless is their newest exhibition, with an apparently almost exact replica opening in Hamburg later this year.

With two people wanting to see the show, I snatched tickets, good for a timed entry, though there is no maximum period one can spend inside. TeamLab Borderless is located in the MORI Building in Tokyo’s Azabudai Hills neighborhood, a stunning new area of luxury shopping and condos. A quick tutorial explains that there is no right or wrong way to wander the museum, and that rooms change over time, so return visits might be in order. A warning that some rooms can be dark and to watch one’s footing, and the doors open to something I can only describe as magical.

TeamLab Borderless in Tokyo is a maze. Passageways connect to rooms, some of which exit at a different point than that of entry, and to other passageways. Even after spending a couple of hours – during which I think I managed to see everything at least once – I still get lost trying to return to a room I describe as the Sphere Room. Add to that the darkness and lack of signage (done for a reason, so I’m not knocking it) and it can be both wondrous and frustrating to just wander.

But those who do put in the effort to traverse each passage and explore each room will be rewarded by some truly awesome exhibits of what light and mirrors can accomplish. That is the essence of this as digital art: fun with lights and mirrors. Of course there is more to it than that, but that’s the basic.

Take, for instance, the Sphere Room (my name for it). Hundreds of spheres reflect light, with mirrored walls, floors, and ceilings creating an infinite appearance that is reminiscent of a galaxy of stars. The light changes over time, playing new colors and patterns into each other, for an experience that I can only gaze at in awe.

At the other end of the spectrum is what I call “The Tunnel,” a large long room with focused light beams rotating to create some amazing three dimensional patterns. I spend nearly a half hour just in this room, and still don’t see the “show” do a full loop.

In every nook and cranny, things are moving. Cherry blossoms grow and bloom on the surfaces of the Slide Room (I call it that for the mountain in the middle that kids slide down).

The “Dizzy Room” has a spin to the light and images projected into it, and it is very disorienting for me to spend more than a few minutes, although it makes me feel good that I keep my balance.

There are several more takes on the infinite, one with blocks, one with rolling balls, and one with hanging lights. All change colors and patterns with time and strolling around; all are incredible.

For a fun take on projection, the Fish Room (again, my name) allows visitors to color a fish or squid pattern, scan it in, and see it added temporarily to the aquarium feel on the walls and floor.

And this isn’t all of the rooms, not by a long shot. One feels like water, one like plants, one like Alice in Wonderland, and so on. I could easily spend a few more hours here, but while there is a tea room, my hunger ultimately gets the best of me and I am back out to explore Tokyo culinarily.

TeamLab has several other exhibitions, but this is the only one I get tickets for. I will, however, start to regularly check their website for upcoming things in places I might be. If this one is any indication of both innovation and quality, I’d be in for a treat.

As for Tokyo’s TeamLab Borderless, all I can say is, “Wow!” In a city that has so pleasantly surprised me on both of my visits, this is near the top of things I’ve done here, and something I cannot recommend highly enough. Just watch out for the Dizzy Room.

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