Unlock: Tokyo
Tokyo is constantly reinventing itself, meaning even the most frequent visitors to the city will always find something new to discover. Here are five newly opened or soon-to-open facilities in Tokyo that are worth getting excited about
© teamLab
1. Step into a work of art
teamLab Borderless
What is it? In February world-conquering art collective teamLab’s signature museum, teamLab Borderless, made a highly anticipated comeback in central Tokyo, opening in the new Azabudai Hills complex. When the former Borderless opened in June 2018, it quickly became a huge sensation—not just in Tokyo but also in the international art scene—beloved for its immersive digital art installations that seamlessly merged and interacted with other artworks across rooms as well as with the wide-eyed spectators taking in all this visual overload.
What to expect? This is not a carbon copy of the former Odaiba facility. The all-new Borderless features several never-been-seen installations making their world debut. These new creations are breathtaking—and represent an evolution of the collective’s most iconic works.
2. Experience an immersive theme park
What is it? Taking over Odaiba’s kitschy VenusFort shopping mall—which closed in 2022—is Immersive Fort Tokyo. As its name suggests, this theme park is a hands-on affair, offering experiences inspired by London’s immensely popular interactive theater shows such as those by pioneers Punchdrunk.
What to expect? When it opens in early March, Immersive Fort Tokyo will have 12 attractions as well as six stores and restaurants within the sprawling 30,000-sqm facility. The attractions are all interactive in nature, meaning that you play a key role in the development of the stories and narratives. You could be solving a homicide in “The Sherlock – Baker Street Murder Case,” evading the titular killer in the “Jack the Ripper” horror maze, or fighting gang members in the “Tokyo Revengers”-themed escape room.
Kisa Toyoshima
3. Rediscover the Toyosu district
Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai
What is it? Tokyo’s Toyosu district, home to one of the world’s greatest seafood markets and an amazing digital art museum, is getting even more exciting. The new Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai aims to recreate the nostalgic townscape of Edo-period (1603–1868) Tokyo, and fill it with a host of lifestyle facilities including shops, restaurants, and a 24-hour onsen spa.
What to expect? Having thrown its doors open on February 1, Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai comprises two sections. The commercial wing is home to the Toyosu Offsite Edomae Market, offering fresh seafood from the nearby Toyosu Market as well as restaurants serving classic Japanese fare including ramen, sushi, and tempura.
The spa wing, meanwhile, has ten levels of wellness facilities that are open around the clock. There are a variety of baths with mineral-rich water sourced from the Hakone-Yugawara hot springs, plus an open-air footbath garden on the roof that looks out to the scenic waterfront.
4. Shop in an architectural delight
Courtesy of Tokyu Land Corp
What is it? Taking up prime real estate in Shibuya at the intersection of Omotesando and Meiji-dori is a new shopping mall called Tokyu Plaza Harajuku Harakado. Its edgy architecture, which resembles the geometric glass shapes of Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku across the road, is the work of Japanese architect Akihisa Hirata.
What to expect? When it opens later in spring, Tokyu Plaza Harajuku Harakado will house a food hall on its 5th and 6th floors, featuring new ventures by some of Tokyo’s most renowned chefs. In the basement you’ll find a modern sento operated by the long-established Kosugi-yu bathhouse in Koenji. But the building’s main draw will be the stunning vertical garden that stretches across its upper floors.
Runa Akahoshi
5. Stroll around the city’s newest park
Toritsu Meiji Park
What is it? This new city-center green oasis next to the Japan National Stadium (aka the Tokyo Olympic Stadium) is within walking distance from Kokuritsu-Kyogijo and Sendagaya stations. Toritsu Meiji Park, as it’s called, currently has four areas. The grass lawn that’s been named the Plaza of Hope is the park’s main focal point and surrounding it you’ll find the Inclusive Plaza with minimalistic play equipment, and the Michi Plaza with a small stream and 13 types of cherry blossom trees. The most impressive section is the Forest of Pride, which has 508 deciduous and 214 evergreen trees planted across 7,500 square meters.
What to expect? Parts of the park have already been open since October last year, and six more sections are expected to open across spring. Toritsu Meiji Park’s upcoming features include a café, restaurant, outdoor activity shop, and relaxation center.