Ajinomoto Stadium (味の素スタジアム, Ajinomoto Sutajiamu) is a multi-use stadium formally called Tokyo Stadium (東京スタジアム, Tōkyō Sutajiamu). It was the first stadium in Japan that offered its naming rights, which were sold to Ajinomoto Co., Inc. in 2003.
Ajinomoto Stadium
When the J-League, Japan’s first professional soccer league, was launched in 1993, the resulting craze led to jam-packed stadiums across the nation. Amid all the hoopla, a joint venture was formed to build a top-flight facility and bring professional soccer to the metropolis.
It took seven years of planning and building and eventually the 50,000-seat Tokyo Stadium opened its doors for business in the spring of 2001. The opening event was a sold-out J-League match.
A J-League Match at Ajinimoto Stadium (photo by jon sleeuw)
The Stadium, affectionately known as Ajista, was promoted in 2004/2005 with ‘Husky Girls’, a humorous television commercial designed to appeal to Japanese women.
With a capacity of 50,100 which is divided into 2 layers; the upper accommodates 20,600 while the lower 29,500, it is the largest facility in Japan that did not host a FIFA World Cup match. In fact, not one 2002 FIFA World Cup match was hosted anywhere in Tokyo.
Home of the J-League football teams F.C. Tokyo and Tokyo Verdy, Rugby and American football are also played there. In 2002 FIFA World Cup, Saudi Arabia’s national team placed their training camp at Chōfu and used the stadium as a main training ground.
Ajinomoto Stadium
To get there you need to take the Keiō Line to Tobitakyū Station (飛田給駅). It serves as the main train station for access to Ajinomoto Stadium with most express trains stopping there on match days. From the station it is a 5 minute walk with conbinis and food stalls along the way.
Below is a short vid of the crowd at Ajist from the 2008 Tokyo Verdy vs Kawasaki Frontale match.
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This is timely information, someone has invited me to see a soccer match there this weekend.
It was going here on a Sunday afternoon in September 2007 that I had my paradigm shift: I finally comprehended the Tokyo subways through-routings. I thought I had to change trains from the Toei Shinjuku line to the Keio line in Shinjuku. But I got to the platform at Bakuro-Yokoyama and espied the electric timetable for the next three trains: The first two were 8-car trains for Shinjuku. The third train was a 10-car train heading for Hashimoto. I found the route map poster and finally made the connection as to what was going on. I could actually ride one train to Chofu, and then transfer to a local for Tobitakyu.
Yes, it worked. Of course, I had to adjust my fare at Tobitaku (I only paid through Shinjuku).
Ate at one of the conbinis along the path to the station.
Tokyo Verdy defeated Avispa Fukuoka by 2-0. They didn’t lose another game for the rest of season – winding up in 2nd place and automatically going up to J-League 1.
(Unfortunately for them, they went right back down the next season.)
It’s a nice stadium. I wonder what FIFA has against it?
dude, you have one hell of a memory. impressive! i think it is a nice little stadium too. conveniently located from the train station. although, after the match ended the train platform got a bit over-crowded. maybe they needed a few more trains running.