''For the old baseball stadium, see
Tokyo Stadium (Baseball).''

Tokyo (Ajinomoto) Stadium
'Tokyo Stadium' (Japanese: 東京スタジアム) is a multipurpose
stadium located in
Chofu,
Tokyo,
Japan.
Overview
The stadium was founded at Kantō Mura, the redevelopment area formerly used by
USFJ, in March
2001. It was the first stadium in Japan that offered its
naming rights, which were sold to
Ajinomoto Co., Inc. with a 5-year 1.2 billion
yen (about 10 million
United States dollars) contract, from March
2003 to February
2008. As a result, it is currently named 'Ajinomoto Stadium' (Japanese:味の素スタジアム).
The stadium is the home of the
J. League football teams
F.C. Tokyo and
Tokyo Verdy 1969, and is used as the venue of some lower divisions of football leagues.
Rugby union and
American football games are also held there. In
Football World Cup 2002,
Saudi Arabia's national team placed their training camp at Chofu and used the stadium as a main training ground.
The stadium is often used by non-sport events, such as
concerts and
flea markets.
Site
The north end of the stadium adjoins the
Chofu Airport, while the route 20 runs through the south end. At the south end is placed the main gate, which is directly connected with the pedestrian bridge over the route 20.
Stand
The stand accommodates 50,100 and is divided into 2 layers; the upper accommodates 20,600 while the lower 29,370 (both are all-seated). On each layer, the stand is technically classified into 4 segments (main, back, north and south sides).
The whole of the upper layer, as well as upper tiers of the lower layer, is covered by roof, which is made of
Teflon (main and back) and
polycarbonate (both sides). The main stand houses media and hospitality boxes,
VIP rooms and reception hall. Two Large
LED displays are installed at both sides.
Ground
The ground was originally designed for both
athletics and football games. However, the construction of the supplemental ground, which is needed for the compliance with the 1st-grade athletic ground in Japan, is postponed. Then its management company decided to use the ground mainly for football, and not to install track until the foundation of the supplemental ground. Currently
artificial turf are laid down all over the ground except the
football field area, over which the natural
turf are spread. Consequently, there are some room between football pitch and the stand.
In order to comply with the height limitation in regard to the airport, the ground is sunk and its altitude is lower than that of land around the stadium.
The pitch area is 110.5 m × 75.4 m.
Access
★
Keio Line: 5 minutes by walk from
Tobitakyū station.
★
Seibu Tamagawa Line: 20 minutes by walk from Tama station.
External links
★
WorldStadiums.com entry
★
Ajinomoto Stadium Official Site (in Japanese)