Mercer Lab is an art and technology museum located in New York City, offering multi-sensory, interactive rooms for the public to explore. Until November 30th, there is a special collaboration between Mercer Labs and Toei Animation, an anime production company, to integrate the popular anime show, One Piece, into multiple rooms at the museum. This is an experience that everyone, whether familiar with the series or not, should partake in before December arrives.

We Awe Inspired!

You will step into a variety of scenes from the Land of Wano arc of the One Piece animation. Before entering the first interactive room, you will be greeted by the museum’s staff as they run through the museum’s policies while placing shoe covers on your feet. In the same room, there is a circular-shaped interactive screen on the ceiling displaying the One Piece logo and some of the landscape scenarios from the Land of Wano arc, which feature Japanese-styled architecture and cherry blossoms. 

You will be in awe just by the first room you enter. Impressed with the vast, large walls covered with animation scenes from One Piece on all sides. You can sit at one of the circular couches or take a swing on the nearest set of swings that are hung from the ceiling. Instrumental tracks from the anime show play as you are mesmerized by the various animations playing in the room.

As you progress, you will enter various rooms that are different from each other. A low-lighted sonic chamber where you feel the music through speakers all around. From the floor to the padded walls, you can hear and feel the Japanese string instruments playing with its 4D technology. You can lay on the floor to feel each beat pulsing through your body. Though the carpet itself could be of better quality and more seating options could have been available, it is a mellow sensory room that resets your senses after your first room experience. 

Continuing on, you will enter a variety of rooms with mirrors from top to bottom, side to side. It is awe-inspiring when first experiencing it, especially the room with a One Piece pirate ship swaying in the ocean. It feels like you are standing in the middle of the ocean, watching the sun set and rise. Breathtaking.

Each room with these mirrors feels like an infinity room and each one portrays something different. Another mirrored room uses sound waves to showcase the sound effects of the battles from One Piece. It is quite trippy to see it, and with the mirrors bouncing off each other, it is stunning each time.

Visitors can walk through a cave-inspired room of pink hydrangeas. Within this cave room are a few digital screens blending with the flowers that showcase various scenes of Kouzuki Momonosuke as the pink dragon flying around. While it may not be cherry blossoms, the hydrangeas do make it feel like it fits the theme in One Piece.

Another area is more kid-focused, with visitors coloring wanted posters from the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece. In the same room, a smaller version of the first room showcases a milestone anime scene in an enclosed area with mirrors inside to bounce on all angles. It is more of an activity room to reset your senses from walking through various sensory rooms.

Outside One Piece

There are rooms in between that are not associated with the One Piece theme. One of these rooms is the ball pit, where mirrors create the illusion of a larger space upon entering. Each side of the room is filled with pear-colored balls that shimmer in blue from the overhead lighting, giving it a watery feel. While adults will enjoy it, kids will love it even more.

In another area, there are two rooms with robotic interactions. One room features two robotic hands playing the cello, allowing guests to conduct the music using a sensory panel in front of the machine. The second room is filled with kinetic sand for guests to play with on either side, with a robotic “arm” moving smoothly through the sand in the center. Although it initially appears to respond to your movements, upon closer observation, its operation becomes more mysterious. Nonetheless, it remains an intriguing room to explore.

Exploring all the One Piece collaboration rooms and the original Mercer Labs rooms will require some time out of your day. Plan to spend at least ninety minutes immersing yourself in each sensory environment. If you have young children, they will especially enjoy the ballroom.

Final Voyage

Words can only partially describe the experience of visiting each room in Mercer Labs. Experiencing it in person is truly worth the time, and with the One Piece collaboration, it’s more than worth the trip. If you have little ones to bring along, this experience is definitely worth their time as well. It truly feels like stepping into a whole new world.

The experience was generously provided by Mercer Labs for this article, including photography and video capture. The One Piece x Mercer Labs collaboration will be running until November 30, 2025, in New York City. Guests can purchase tickets now from the official website to schedule a date. Visitors can also visit the website for additional details about the museum and current events.

@catwithmonocleOne Piece X Mercer Labs collaboration event is going on until end of November. #OnePiece fans, #anime fans, and those looking for a different experience with museums should visit before it set sails. #nyc #mercerlabs #museum

♬ original sound – Cat With Monocle –