Japan National Stadium facts for kids

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Japan National Stadium
Construction
国立競技場
Aerial view (left), 2021
Location	10-2, Kasumigaoka-machi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan 35°40'41.5"N 139°42'52.5"E, (35.678184, 139.714590)
Owner	Japan Sport Council
Capacity	68,000 (track and field) 80,016 (football and rugby union, maximum with temporary seats over running track)
Field size	107 × 71 m
Surface	Grass
Broke ground	11 December 2016; 8 years ago (2016-12-11)
Built	December 2016 – 30 November 2019
Opened	21 December 2019; 5 years ago (2019-12-21)
Construction cost	US$1.4 billion (¥157 billion)
Architect	Kengo Kuma
Tenants
Japan national football team (2020–present) Japan national rugby union team (2020–present)

The rugby game Classic Meiji University versus Waseda University at 56th All-Japan University Rugby Championship - Final

The Japan National Stadium (国立競技場, Kokuritsu kyōgijō), also called the National Stadium, is a huge sports arena in Tokyo, Japan. It is mainly used for association football (soccer) games. This amazing stadium was built to be the main place for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics in 2021. It also hosted track and field events during these games.

The stadium is located in Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku, a part of Tokyo. Before this new stadium was built, there was an older stadium in the same spot. That old stadium was taken down in May 2015. Construction on the new stadium began on December 11, 2016.

The first plans for the new stadium were changed in July 2015. The Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, decided to restart the design process. This happened because the building costs were getting too high. Because of this change, the stadium was not ready in time for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, as first planned. A new design by architect Kengo Kuma was chosen in December 2015. The stadium was finally finished on November 30, 2019.

Building the Stadium: A Story of Changes
- Early Plans and Challenges
- New Design and Final Decisions
Stadium Design and Features
Gallery
- Construction
Images for kids
See also

Building the Stadium: A Story of Changes

When Tokyo wanted to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, people talked about updating or rebuilding the old National Olympic Stadium. The plan was for the stadium to host the opening and closing ceremonies. It would also be the place for track and field events.

Early Plans and Challenges

In February 2012, it was decided that the old stadium would be taken down and a new one built. This new stadium would cost about £1 billion. In November 2012, the first designs for the new stadium were shown. These designs were made by an architect named Zaha Hadid. The old stadium was demolished in 2015. The new one was supposed to be finished by March 2019. The new stadium would host athletics, rugby, and some football games. It would also be used for the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies.

In May 2015, the Japanese government announced some changes to Hadid's design. They said it was because of money limits. For example, they decided not to build a roof that could open and close. They also changed some permanent seats to temporary ones. The size of the stadium area was also made smaller.

Some famous Japanese architects, like Toyo Ito and Fumihiko Maki, did not like Hadid's design. Ito said it looked like a turtle. Maki called it a "white elephant", meaning something very expensive but not useful. Others worried that the stadium was too close to the Meiji Shrine gardens.

The roof of the new stadium was especially hard to build. It needed two huge steel arches, each about 370 meters (1,210 feet) long. Even with the design changes, the stadium was expected to cost over 300 billion yen. This was much more than the cost of the London Olympic Stadium. It was also much more than the Beijing Olympic Stadium.

New Design and Final Decisions

In June 2015, the Japanese government agreed with two companies, Taisei Corporation and Takenaka Corporation, to build the stadium. The cost was set at about 250 billion yen. The new plan still kept the steel arch design. The number of permanent seats was set at 65,000 for track events. But, with extra temporary seats, it could hold 80,000 people for football and rugby. This was planned for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

However, on July 17, 2015, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that the plans for the new National Stadium would be stopped. They would start over with a new bidding process. This happened because people were unhappy about the high building costs. Because of this, Abe said a different place would have to be used for the Rugby World Cup. The new stadium would not be ready until the 2020 Olympics.

By August 28, 2015, the Japanese Government released new rules for rebuilding the stadium. The fixed number of seats would be 68,000. It could be made bigger to 80,000 seats by using temporary seats over the running track. The government also decided not to have a retractable roof. Instead, a permanent roof would only cover the spectator seats.

Also, a sports museum and a sky walkway that were part of the old design were removed. VIP lounges and seats were reduced. Underground parking was also made smaller. These changes made the stadium area 13% smaller than first planned. Air conditioning for the stadium was also removed. This was requested by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Minister for the Olympics, Toshiaki Endo, said that "Air conditioners are installed in only two stadiums around the world, and they can only cool temperatures by 2 or 3°C."

People were worried about how hot it might get inside. This was because the New National Stadium was built without air conditioning to save money. The roof only covers the seats, not the whole stadium.

The government planned to choose new builders and a design by December 2015. Construction would start by December 2016 at the latest. Designers worked with builders to offer a design, along with cost and time estimates. It was decided that the athletics track would stay there permanently. It would not be removed for extra seats for any future World Cup. By September 18, 2015, two groups offered bids. One was the Taisei Corporation working with architect Kengo Kuma. The other was a group of Japanese builders, including Takenaka, Shimizu, and Obayashi corporations, working with architect Toyo Ito. The first winning architect, Zaha Hadid, could not find a Japanese builder to work with her design. So, she could not try again in the new competition.

On December 21, 2015, the Japan Sport Council announced that Kuma and the Taisei Corporation were chosen to design and build the National Olympic Stadium. Construction started in December 2016. It was set to finish on November 30, 2019. Then, the stadium would be given to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to get ready for the games and ceremonies.

The new design would hold 68,089 people for athletics events. It could add temporary seating over the track to reach a capacity of 80,016. During the Olympic Games, the capacity was 60,102, counting areas for press and officials. For the Paralympics, this capacity was even less, at 57,750, to add more accessible seating for people with disabilities.

The stadium officially opened on December 21, 2019, with a special ceremony. The first sports event held at the stadium was the 2019 Emperor's Cup final on January 1, 2020. Vissel Kobe won their first ever trophy there.

Stadium Design and Features

The stadium is special because it uses a lot of timber (wood) in its structure. All the wood comes from Japan. This helps to reduce harm to the environment. Many of the wooden parts are made in sections. This means they can be replaced easily if the wood gets old. The wood used is certified, meaning it comes from responsibly managed forests. It was sourced from all 47 prefectures of Japan. This follows a tradition started by the Meiji Shrine.

The design of the eaves (the parts of the roof that hang over the walls) was inspired by the Hōryū-ji temple. These eaves have open spaces that help air flow through the stadium. This uses the natural wind to keep the inside cool. Part of the roof has clear solar panels. These panels collect sunlight to make electricity. Rainwater is also collected in tanks underground. This water is used to water the grass field and the many plants on the top level walkway.

Making the stadium easy for everyone to use was very important. There are more than 450 spots for people in wheelchairs. The toilets also use the newest technology to be accessible.