A one-day wellness experience to “reflect on yourself” in the art space of teamLab Borderless: Azabudai Hills Wellness Program | We went and checked it out

Hello everyone! I’m Sanada from SUNNY SIDE UP.

This time, we will introduce a cutting-edge, new-sensation wellness experience that is drawing attention now, focusing on modern concerns such as tension and mental fatigue amid busy daily lives.

Azabudai Hills, which champions the concept of “Green & Welleness.” On Tuesday, February 24, Azabudai Hills held a state-of-the-art wellness event at the “Mori Building Digital Art Museum: Epson teamLab Borderless (hereinafter, teamLab Borderless)” located within the facility, where participants practiced yoga and Pilates in an overwhelming art space and then enjoyed the art more deeply in a healthy state of both body and mind.

This event was realized as a special edition of the “Azabudai Hills Wellness Program,” which is held regularly at Azabudai Hills to encourage opportunities to refresh both body and mind and promote health. More than simply “immersing” yourself in art, it is a one-day-only, distinctive wellness experience that invites you to “face yourself” within the art—fully leveraging the unique creativity of teamLab Borderless.

As Azabudai Hills’ PR team, SUNNY SIDE UP was responsible for media outreach and on-the-day operations for this event. This time, Sanada went undercover at the “Azabudai Hills Wellness Program” to report from the front lines of this new, immersive approach to well-being. We also spoke with the team members who handled PR to learn what they focused on most for this event!

A huge response with an application rate of about 10x! A scaled-up second edition

In fact, when this event was held for the first time last year, it was an extremely popular project, with applications flooding in at nearly 10 times the capacity of 70 people. For this second edition, in response to the overwhelming demand, both the program content and the number of participants were significantly expanded. Three types of programs were held simultaneously across three artwork spaces, and a total of about 220 people participated across two sessions—evolving into a large-scale event.

Enriching body and mind in a “borderless” space (from a Mori Building representative)

“Mori Building Digital Art Museum: Epson teamLab Borderless” Azabudai Hills, Tokyo

Before the session began, Mr. Itabashi, the planning representative at Mori Building, spoke about the concept behind this program. teamLab Borderless is a museum themed around being “without boundaries,” and based on Mori Building’s belief that “art enriches the human heart,” they strongly hoped that holding wellness sessions in this art space would enrich not only the body but also the mind—leading to this special edition, according to him.

The ultimate immersive experience across three art spaces

At the event, programs were prepared to help participants feel each of the three artwork spaces more deeply. In addition to visually appreciating the teamLab works that spread throughout the venue, participants were also enveloped in sounds and scents that are part of the artworks. Using all five senses, participants could take part while immersing themselves in a profound sense of being completely separated from everyday life.

“Mori Building Digital Art Museum: Epson teamLab Borderless” Azabudai Hills, Tokyo

The first is “Yoga @ Waterfall of Light Particles at the Top of an Incline.”

A grand main yoga session with around 70 participants. In this room, the artwork continues to change as participants are present. The waterfall’s flow branches as if avoiding where people are, flowers bloom from where people sit, and at times crows fly in from other rooms across boundaries—truly a space with no boundary between people and the artwork.

Within this ever-changing art space, you face your mind and body as they are today while feeling sensory stimuli—such as the visuals, scents, and sounds of the works. As the artwork responds to participants’ movements and transforms, it evokes a mysterious sensation as if the boundary between yourself and the art is disappearing.

“Mori Building Digital Art Museum: Epson teamLab Borderless” Azabudai Hills, Tokyo

The second is “Pilates @ Infinite Crystal World,” held for the first time this year. Newly added was this Pilates session conducted in a world surrounded by mirrored surfaces on all sides, where “sculptures of light” extend infinitely. With a capacity of 20 people, this session offered a supreme experience—aligning body and mind amid fantastical light and guiding participants into a deeper meditative state.

“Mori Building Digital Art Museum: Epson teamLab Borderless” Azabudai Hills, Tokyo

Lastly, “Creative Journaling + Yoga @ Sketch Ocean.”

This is also a new initiative: a fusion program of art therapy and yoga. In a space where the sea creatures you draw begin to swim, participants first do journaling to organize their thoughts by “drawing” exactly as they feel. Then, by practicing yoga surrounded by the sea creatures they drew, they can appreciate the artwork in a deeply relaxed state—almost as if they are underwater.

This program allowed us to experience an unprecedented form of “urban wellness” created by combining cutting-edge art and fitness. At Azabudai Hills, they also offer a wide variety of wellness programs in collaboration with facilities around the city, such as the “RUN SESSION,” which runs 3–6 km routes including Tokyo Tower and Hibiya Park, and the “FITNESS SESSION,” which helps balance mind and body through yoga and Pilates in the Central Plaza.

Spending premium time immersing yourself in art while conditioning both body and mind is truly the kind of wellness experience modern people need. We also cannot take our eyes off Azabudai Hills’ future “Green & Wellness” initiatives!

Interview with Team Members About PR for This Event

SUNNY SIDE UP PR members who were in charge of this event.

We will speak with Min from the SR Department, who was responsible for media outreach for this project.

—Despite the challenges of a one-day-only event and attracting media, how did you connect it to media outreach?

We deliberately turned the short duration to our advantage by emphasizing the exclusivity of it being “the ultimate experience you can only have once a year, in this place, on this day,” and appealed to the media with the “can’t-miss value” of capturing it.

Also, building on last year’s proven track record and strong response, we highlighted how this year we further expanded the number of applicants and the program content—significantly leveling up the event. We also made a point of referencing other wellness programs held regularly so that it would not appear to be merely a one-off event.

In addition, we focused on a modern concern: the accumulation of mental fatigue caused by February’s characteristic temperature fluctuations. By positioning this program as “the forefront of immersive well-being” that alleviates those concerns, and presenting it not just as an experiential event but as a unique solution to a social issue, we drew media interest as highly newsworthy information.

—Please tell us about the media response.

After the event, we received very high praise from media professionals. First, regarding the program content that made the most of the venue’s unique characteristics, we were pleased to hear comments such as, “A wonderful initiative that can only be experienced at teamLab.” In particular, many reporters were impressed by the new form that fuses art with physical and mental health—saying that doing yoga and Pilates within teamLab Borderless’ overwhelmingly immersive space leads to the best wellness experience for conditioning both body and mind.

We also received期待する声 from many media outlets saying, “We would definitely like to cover it again next year if it happens.”

At SUNNY SIDE UP, we handle PR and communications for a wide range of products and services, including experiential events.

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