After our Tempozan Ferris Wheel ride and early dinner at Tempozan Harbor Village, we again boarded our van for 19-km. (25-min.) drive to experience the new interactive outdoor art exhibit of teamLab, an international art collective, at the 240,000 sq. m. Nagai Botanical Garden, an outdoor botanical garden in Nagai Park that opened in 1974.
Taking the light show out of the hustle and bustle of the city streets and into a more natural setting, teamLab aims to explore an environment where human perception expands from the artwork itself to the environment. Their stunning, immersive nighttime installation transformed the natural landscape into an interactive digital canvas.
From our drop-off point, it was still a long walk to the entrance. Nestled among the forests and fields of the botanical garden were a variety of illuminated exhibits, ranging in size and scope from subtle illuminations embedded in the grass to completely awe-inspiring radiant pillars that dance in the wind and reach into the sky. Once we entered the grounds, it felt like we were transported to a world, miles away from Osaka. Deep, meditative music filled the air as we walked through the wide pathway flanked by towering bald cypress trees.
While subtle at first, we began to notice that the lights illuminating the trees rose and fell in brightness, depending on your proximity to them. This is our first hint that this was more than just a walk in the garden—we were a part of the exhibit. We didn’t find any velvet ropes or “do not touch” signs here. Instead, we were encouraged to see how our interactions, within this unique “ecosystem,” would influence our surroundings.
As we walked through the garden of The Resonating Trees Exhibit, the trees shone brightly. When we passed close by, the trees changed color and emitted a unique musical tone. This wave of light and sound continuously spred outward to the surrounding trees. If light approached from a distance, it signified the presence of other people or wildlife, turning the ecosystem into an active canvas. Because the artwork interacted directly with nature, the display shifted in response to the wind, rain, and the natural seasonal changes of the trees.
Rounding a corner, we saw The Sculptures of Dissipative Birds in the Wind installation, widely considered the signature and most spectacular open-air piece of the permanent exhibition. It brings the invisible forces of nature—the wind and the physical flight of the birds—to life. Standing tall, on the edge of the lake, looking not unlike Van Gogh’s Starry Night coming to life here in Japan, the flowing swirls of color react to the flight paths of any passing birds that live in Nagai Park, further adding to the layers of interactivity throughout the gardens.
Lines and swirling patterns of bright, shifting light (in vibrant gradations of red, blue, green, and yellow) trace flight paths across the night sky and the installation’s structures. Because it reacts continuously in real time to actual wind speeds and the movement of the ecosystem, no two movements are ever exactly the same. Every second of the display is completely unique.
Continuing along the pathway, through the trees, and the sights continued to change with the landscape at The Resonating Microcosms in the Common Camellia Garden Exhibit. Small, waist-high glowing eggs fill the forest around the camelia garden, which foreshadows the absolutely overwhelming mass of 10 ft. tall orbs in the eucalyptus garden. During the day, their mirrored surfaces reflect the surrounding environment but, after sunset, they come alive.
Getting lost amongst these luminous ovoid sculptures was a highlight for us, putting a smile on our face. As we walked among them or when the wind blew, the ovoids react, glowing in up to 61 distinct colors and emitting unique sounds. When we pushed one ovoid or when it responded to its surroundings, it echoed out to the neighboring ovoids, creating a continuous, rippling wave of light and sound throughout the entire garden.
At the Forest of Autonomous Resonating Life Exhibit, the densely packed, standing ovoids of light are autonomous. When an ovoid was pushed over, by people moving through or blown down by the wind, it rose back up as the color of its light changed and emitted a tone specific to that color.
The surrounding ovoids responded one after another, continuously changing to the same color and emitting the same tone. When the wind was not blowing and the people nearby were not interacting with the ovoids, their lights began to blink slowly.
At the Floating Resonating Lamps on Oike Lake – Fire Exhibit, each of the lamps on the Oike Lake’s surface floated autonomously. When we stood still near a lamp, or when the wind blew a lamp, it shone brightly and produced a tone.
The light of that lamp spred to nearby lamps, one by one, as they resonated with the same tone, continuing on to the trees on the islet in the center of the lake. If light approached from the other side, it signified the presence of people there, making them more aware of the existence of others in the same space. When the wind was not blowing and people were not nearby, the lamps began to blink slowly.
At the Pillars That Dance with the Wind Exhibit, the installation challenged the traditional notion that human structures must be solid and stable (like concrete). Instead, the pillars were soft, flexible, and defined entirely by their environment. The pillars changed in number, movement, and height based on the wind, rain, and humidity. They also interacted dynamically with visitors who walked near or touched them, creating patterns that were never repeated. Because the artwork relied so heavily on real-time environmental data, strong winds or heavy rain could cause the installation to be temporarily closed for safety.
teamLab Botanical Garden: Nagai Park, 1-23 Nagaikoen, Higashisumiyoshi-ku Ward, Osaka. Nighttime only; hours vary by season (usually opens from dusk, roughly 7 PM to 7:30 PM, until 9:30 PM with last entry at 8:30 PM). Admission: ~¥2,000 to ¥2,200 for adults (prices can fluctuate slightly depending on peak or off-peak seasons), with discounts available for students and children. Tel: 06-6699-5120. Website: teamlab.art/e/botanicalgarden/
How to Get There: Take the Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line to Nagai Station, a 10-min. walk on the Midosuji subway line. Take exit 3 and walk east through Nagai park to access the admission gates. From Exit 1 or 2, it is a brief 10 to 15-minute walk into Nagai Park to reach the botanical garden entrance. Via the JR Railway, it can also be reached via the JR Nagai Station, a 12-min. walk, on the JR Hanwa line (take the East Exit and walk east through Nagai park to access the admission gates). Via the Kintetsu Railway, it is 15-min. walk from Harinakano Station on the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka line. Take the West Exit and walk through Nagai park to access the admission gates.
