To teamLab’s exhibition “Forest Where Gods Live”
The smartphone app is essential!
After taking a short rest in my room, I headed to the adjacent Mifuneyama Rakuen to see teamLab’s seasonal exhibition “Forest Where Gods Live,” which is held there every year for a limited time.
The garden is विशाल and some areas are quite dark, so it’s hard to read a paper map by hand. I recommend installing the teamLab app before you go.
There are also spots where the footing is unstable, so please be very careful not to get injured.
A large-scale exhibition set inside old buildings
The first place you can reach from inside the hotel is the ruins area. This zone seems to make use of buildings that were probably once part of Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel.
“Megaliths in the Bath House Ruins,” true to its name, boldly transforms a former large communal bath into an artwork. The bathhouse has an extremely high ceiling and a spacious, open feel.
If you go down the stairs, you can get right up close to the bath and the artwork. There is water in the tub, so watch your step.
The bath on the other side of the central wall has been turned into another work, “Graffiti Nature – Living Creatures of the Bath House Ruins, Red List.”
As in some other teamLab exhibitions, you can draw a creature, have it scanned, and then enjoy seeing the creature you drew appear inside the artwork.
There is one more work in the ruins area: “The Everlasting Flames Living in the Ruined Underground Passage Forgotten.”
It felt more simply dark than especially like an “underground passage” to me, though (lol) — but let’s set that aside.
Because the dark path continues for a while, I saw quite a few people using their smartphone lights, but that really ruins the atmosphere. Try to keep your light off and enjoy this special space.
Even the vast garden is filled with color
Once you leave the ruins area, you’re in Mifuneyama Rakuen. The enormous grounds are used to full effect, with a wide variety of illuminations throughout. Even the iconic sheer cliff was beautifully lit up.
The works are scattered around the park, and there are many paths with ups and downs, so I’ll say it again: wearing comfortable walking shoes is absolutely essential.
Throughout the garden, I was able to enjoy distinctive installations that made use of the park’s rocks and trees.
The pond is a must-see
Out of all the works, the one that stayed with me most was “Drawing on the Water Surface Created by the Dance of Koi and Boats,” located deepest in from the hotel side (or closest to the garden entrance, if you’re entering from the garden).
Amid the light reflected on the water’s surface, I could see a performer steering a boat, and the whole scene felt wonderfully dreamlike.
I was satisfied, so I headed back into the hotel!
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