was a

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...

in Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan. The stadium served as the main stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as being the venue for track and field events at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

. The Japan national football team's home matches and major football club cup finals were held at the stadium. The stadium's official capacity was 57,363, but the seating capacity was only 48,000 seats. Demolition was completed in May 2015, and the site was redeveloped with a new larger-capacity Olympic Stadium. The new stadium was the main venue for the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

and Paralympics. The original plans for the new stadium were scrapped in July 2015 by Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who announced a rebid after a public outcry because of increased building costs. As a result, the new design was not ready for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, as originally intended. A new design created by architect Kengo Kuma was chosen in December 2015 to replace the original design and was completed in November 2019.

History

The stadium was completed in 1958 as the Japanese National Stadium on the site of the former Meiji Shrine Outer Park Stadium. Its first major event was the 1958 Asian Games. The venue was unscathed by the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...

. Yasuhiro Nakamori, international relations director for the Japanese Olympic Committee, told Around the Rings he attributed the lack of damage to Japan's stringent building codes. The National Stadium has also held a number of music concerts in the past: The Three Tenors (Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, and Jose Carreras) in 1996, SMAP in 2005, Dreams Come True in 2007,

Arashi is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 199 ...

(15 concerts between 2008 and 2013), L'Arc-en-Ciel in 2012,

Momoiro Clover Z is a Japanese idol girl group, commonly abbreviated as MCZ or . The four members of MCZ are known for energetic performances, incorporating elements of ballet, gymnastics, and action movies. MCZ is notable for being the first female group to ho ...

in 2014,

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AK ...

in 2014, and finally, the Joint concert "Sayonara National Stadium Final Week Japan Night" on 28 & 29 May 2014, which served as final goodbye to the stadium before being demolished, with artists such as Ikimono-gakari, Gospellers, Sukima Switch, Naoto Inti Raymi, Funky Kato, Sekai no Owari,

Perfume Perfume (, ) is a mixture of fragrance, fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), Fixative (perfumery), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agre ...

Man with a Mission Man with a Mission (stylized in all caps and sometimes shortened as MWAM) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band which was formed in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, in 2010. The band currently consists of five band members, with stage names of Tokyo Tanaka ( ...

, L'Arc-en-Ciel, among others.

Notable events

* 1958:

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

* 1964: Summer Olympics * 1967:

Summer Universiade The FISU World University Games, formerly the Universiade, is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The former name is a portmanteau of the words "Universi ...

* 1967–2013: Emperor's Cup final * 1976–1979: Japan Bowl * 1979: FIFA World Youth Championship * 1981–2001: Intercontinental Cup * 1982 College Football

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

in the Mirage Bowl * 1991: World Championships in Athletics * 1993: J.League Opening Match ( Verdy Kawasaki vs Yokohama Marinos) * 1993: FIFA U-17 World Championship * 1996: The Three Tenors Concert * 2002: PRIDE Shockwave 2002 * 2003: Japan Top League Opening Match * 2005–2008:

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...

* 2009: AFC Champions League Final * 2010: AFC Champions League Final * 2014: AKB48 Tandoku Haru Con in Kokuritsu Kyougiba ~Omoide wa Zenbu Koko ni Sutete Ike!~

Transportation

Access to the stadium was from Sendagaya or Shinanomachi stations along the JR Chūō-Sōbu Line; from Kokuritsu Kyogijo Station on the Toei Oedo Line; and from Gaienmae Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.

References

External links

*
Satellite photo of the stadium from Google MapsNational Stadium, Tokyo
{{Coord, 35, 40, 41, N, 139, 42, 53, E, type:landmark, display=title

Sports venues in Tokyo Stadiums of the Asian Games

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Athletics (track and field) venues in Japan Rugby union stadiums in Japan Rugby union in Tokyo Sports venues completed in 1958 Venues of the 1964 Summer Olympics Olympic athletics venues Olympic equestrian venues Venues of the 1958 Asian Games Asian Games athletics venues Buildings and structures in Shinjuku American football venues in Japan Sports venues demolished in 2015 Defunct football venues in Japan Demolished buildings and structures in Japan Defunct sports venues in Japan 1958 establishments in Japan 2015 disestablishments in Japan