Team-Lab Botanical Garden in Osaka: Amazing World of Illumination and Nature

Osaka, known as the largest city in the Kansai region, is a popular tourist destination in Japan. Called the "Nation's Kitchen" and "City of Kuidaore" (eat until you drop), it has developed a unique food culture.

Particularly, the "konamono" culture (dishes using wheat flour) has flourished, and dishes like takoyaki (ball-shaped snacks made of wheat batter with octopus and condiments) and okonomiyaki (savory pancakes with meat and vegetables) are said to have originated in Osaka and spread throughout Japan.

As a central hub of Japan, people naturally gathered here, and as transportation networks developed, attractive services from various regions converged in Osaka. Different cultures stimulated each other, leading to growth not only in food culture but also in fashion and art to increasingly higher levels.

In this article, we will introduce the popular Team-Lab Botanical Garden in Osaka, created by the artist collective "teamLab" that captivates audiences with contemporary art.

A New Tourist Attraction in Osaka: "Team-Lab Botanical Garden"

A new tourist attraction has emerged in Osaka, a city already dotted with various sightseeing spots. It's the Team-Lab Botanical Garden, created by the world-renowned teamLab.

As a nighttime outdoor museum utilizing an outdoor botanical garden, it has been bustling with tourists since its opening.

Concept of Team-Lab Botanical Garden

Team-Lab Botanical Garden is a project where you can enjoy teamLab's art at night in the Nagai Botanical Garden. Within the 240,000 square meter site, which showcases about 1,200 species of plants changing with the seasons, an interactive art space unfolds.

The concept is "nature becomes art as it is through digital technology." Light and sound react to the flow of wind and the flight of birds, creating an art that coexists with nature. You'll undoubtedly lose track of time as you immerse yourself in this experience.

What is teamLab?

A Thorough Explanation of Team-Lab Botanical Garden's Charm by Area!

Team-Lab Botanical Garden is divided into six areas, from A to F. Let's thoroughly analyze the charm of each area.

Area A: The Impressive Tree-Lined Path Right After the Entrance

Area A features a tree-lined path of dawn redwood connecting the entrance to the large pond. The towering trees on both sides are impressive, overwhelming visitors right from the start.

Named "Life is Continuous Light - Dawn Redwood," the lights on the trees change in response to passing people, and the resonating tones are a key point. Though not flashy, the calm and mystical atmosphere immediately draws you in, gripping your heart.

When light and sound react in the distance, it signals "someone is there." Although it's dark, the space is designed so that visitors can sense each other's presence, naturally becoming aware of others.

Area B: Enjoy Vibrant Camellias and Colorful Ovoids

In Area B, you can enjoy colorful ovoids (egg-shaped objects) placed in the camellia garden. Called "Resonating Microcosms in the Camellia Garden - Liquified Light Colors, Sunrise and Sunset," the ovoids start to light up after dusk.

The ovoids have a cute, rounded visual that makes you want to touch them. Please touch them! The highlight is how they react to human touch or wind, producing 57 colors of light and gentle tones. The camellias illuminated by digital light are fantastical, captivating your gaze.

The space filled with ovoids feels like you've wandered into a small universe for exploration. When I visited, I couldn't contain my excitement.

Area C: Powerful Sculptures Evoking the Strength of Life

In Area C, you can enjoy light art projected onto sculptures floating on an island in the large pond. The projection mapping on the sculptures is sizable, allowing you to enjoy impressive visual beauty.

As the environment has been developed, birds have gradually gathered, allowing you to enjoy fluid art that mimics flying birds. This is the key point of "Dissipative Figures of Birds in Wind." The lighting changes as birds fly around the sculptures.

As the scene changes with the flight of birds, you can experience a sense of uniqueness in the moment, as the visuals you're seeing are exclusive to that time. You can feel the strength of life from this art that changes with the power of nature.

Area D: A Fantastical Space with Colorful Giant Ovoids

Area D, named "Forest of Autonomous Resonating Life - Eucalyptus," features giant ovoids standing in the eucalyptus plaza.

The ovoids change to colorful hues like pink, yellow, green, and purple when touched or stimulated by wind flow. With its photogenic visuals and brightness, this area is especially recommended for photography. When touched, they have a soft texture, and their ability to stand back up immediately when pushed over is characteristic, reminiscent of the cuteness of traditional Japanese "Daruma" dolls.

The ovoids are taller than an adult, allowing you to completely hide behind them, naturally creating a hide-and-seek atmosphere. Even adults can return to their childhood and play to their heart's content.

Area E: An Art Space Where Forest and Digital Merge

Area E is divided into four sub-areas: "Concrete and Abstract," "Aerial Calligraphy Drawn in the Forest," "Forest Path," and "Flames Possessed by the Forest," where you can enjoy an art space that merges forest and digital elements.

Digital lines are projected at the entrance lined with trees, creating a completely different presentation from previous areas. When people pass by, a symphony of light and sound begins, instantly elevating the atmosphere.

The highlight is the "Flames Possessed by the Forest" area. The raging flames in the darkness feel so real, it's hard to believe they're just projections.

If you bring the work from the smartphone app close to these flames, flames will light up on your phone, allowing you to take the artwork home as a memento. Furthermore, if you bring this saved work close to another smartphone, you can even connect the flames. Please try this experience that's only possible with digital art.

Area F: Enjoy a Dreamy, Fantastical Waterside Space

In Area F, many lamps float on the large pond, emitting vivid light. The colors change as people approach or with wind movements, allowing you to enjoy a dreamy, fantastical waterside space.

Called "Floating Resonating Lamps on the Pond - Vague Colors," the highlight is encountering lamp colors you've never seen before. In Japan, there has long been a concept of "kasaneiro" (layered colors), which involves combinations of front and back colors or gradients of similar colors that create ambiguous hues. The ambiguous colors expressed here are named after seasonal colors (like peach fruit, plum fruit, iris flowers, etc.).

You'll feel a sense of otherworldliness from these ambiguous colors created by light and the gently floating lamps.

Basic Information and Access to Team-Lab Botanical Garden

<Basic Information>
Address: 1-23 Nagai Park, Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka City
Access: 10-minute walk from Exit 3 of Nagai Station on the Midosuji Line, 12-minute walk from Nagai Station on the Hanwa Line, 15-minute walk from Tsurugaoka Station
Admission: From 1800 yen for adults, from 500 yen for children, free for preschool children
Website: https://www.teamlab.art/jp/e/botanicalgarden/

Introducing a Curated Selection of Other Interactive Art Works by teamLab

[Tokyo] teamLab Borderless Azabudai Hills

teamLab Borderless Azabudai Hills is a facility that has moved from Odaiba to its new location. The original "Mori Building Digital Art Museum: EPSON teamLab Borderless" recorded about 2.3 million visitors from over 160 countries and regions worldwide in its first year after opening.

True to its name, the interior is designed with high freedom and no boundaries, which is a key point. You can experience the sensation of 79 works of art mixing together to create a single piece of art.

The highlight is the Bubble Universe. The room filled with light bubbles is so fantastical that it feels like being in a dream. Various lights mingle inside the bubbles, reacting to each other and increasing their brilliance.

[Tokyo] teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM Toyosu

teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM Toyosu is a new sensory museum where you walk barefoot through the facility. It's composed of four large art pieces and two gardens, with the concept of "A Museum Where You Walk Through Water and a Garden Where You Become One with the Flowers."

A popular area is "Drawing on the Water Surface Created by the Dance of Koi and People - Infinity." You enter a pool-like area with water up to about knee-height for adults and experience the art. The highlight is when you bump into koi projected on the water surface, they transform into flowers and scatter.

You're sure to be immersed in the sensation of actively experiencing the art and creating it together with other visitors in the space, rather than passively observing.

[Hiroshima] teamLab Yokai Park

The teamLab Yokai Park in Hiroshima is a museum created with the desire to provide an accessible opportunity to encounter yokai (supernatural beings and phenomena that have been part of Japanese folklore since ancient times). The main venue consists of "Drawing Yokai and People," "Table Where Yokai Dwell," and "Yokai Camera."

The "Drawing Yokai and People" area is popular with children. Here, when you draw a picture on special paper and scan it, your drawing is projected onto a large screen in the area. You can feel like you've become an artist as your drawing becomes part of a giant artwork. It's also fun to touch the drawings that appear on the screen, as they react in various ways.

Learn about yokai and feel their presence up close.

[Kyoto] teamLab Museum Kyoto (Tentative Name)

The teamLab Museum Kyoto (tentative name) is scheduled to open in 2024 in the southeastern area of Kyoto Station. It's said that it will feature teamLab's art museum, an international experiential art center, and a citizens' gallery, among other attractions.