View source for Ajinomoto Stadium

{{Short description|Stadium located in Tokyo, Japan}}
{{redirect|Tokyo Stadium|the former baseball stadium|Tokyo Stadium (baseball)}}
{{WikidataCoord}}
{{Infobox venue 
| stadium_name      = Ajinomoto Stadium
| nickname          = Ajisuta
| image             = File:Ajinomoto Stadium 2018-13.jpg
| image_size        = 300px
| logo_image        =
| location          = [[Chōfu, Tokyo]], Japan
| fullname          = Ajinomoto Stadium
| broke_ground      = 
| opened            = 10 March 2001
| renovated         = 
| expanded          = 
| closed            = 
| demolished        =
| owner             = Tokyo Municipal Government
| operator          = Tokyo Stadium Co., Ltd.
| surface           = Grass
| Constructor       = 
| construction_cost = 
| architect         = 
| former_names      = Tokyo Stadium (2001–2003, 2019–2020)
| publictransit = [[File:Number prefix Keio-line.svg|15px]] [[Keio Line]] at {{STN|Tobitakyū}} <br /> [[File:SeibuTamagawa.svg|18px]] [[Seibu Tamagawa Line]] at {{STN|Tama}}
| nicknames         = 
| tenants           = {{Plainlist|
* [[FC Tokyo]] (2001-present)
* [[Tokyo Verdy]]
* [[Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo]]
* [[Tokyo Sungoliath]]
* [[Japan national football team]]
* [[Japan national rugby union team]]
}}
| seating_capacity  = 49,970
| dimensions        = 110.5 m x 75.4 m
}}
{{nihongo|'''Ajinomoto Stadium'''|味の素スタジアム|Ajinomoto Sutajiamu}}, formerly known as '''Tokyo Stadium''' in the [[AFC Champions League]] and rugby competitions, is a [[multi-purpose stadium]] in [[Chōfu, Tokyo]], Japan. The stadium was founded at Kantō Mura, the redevelopment area formerly used by [[United States Forces Japan]], in March 2001.

It was the first stadium in Japan that sold its [[naming rights]], which went to [[Ajinomoto]] Co., Inc. on a five-year, 1.2 billion [[Japanese yen|yen]] (about 10 million [[United States dollar|U.S. dollars]]) contract from March 2003 to February 2008 to name it Ajinomoto Stadium. This contract was renewed in November 2007 and extended by six years for 1.4 billion yen to February 2014; in October 2013, the second renewal extended the term to February 2019.<ref>{{cite web|title=よくある質問|trans-title=Frequently Asked Question|url=http://www.ajinomotostadium.com/qa/naming-rights.php|publisher=Ajinomoto Stadium|language=ja|access-date=2 December 2017}}</ref>

== Overview ==
[[File:Ajinomoto Stadium 20130506 007.jpg|thumb|Stadium exterior]]
[[File:Ajinomoto Stadium 10th anniversary.jpg|thumb|alt=Puzzle globe logo|FC Tokyo Supporters]]
[[File:Ajinomoto Stadium Panorama.jpg|thumb|Ajinomoto Stadium Panorama]]
The stadium is the home of [[J1 League]] [[Association football|football]] clubs [[FC Tokyo]] and [[Tokyo Verdy]] and is used as the venue of some lower divisions of football leagues. [[Rugby union]] games are also held there. For the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]], [[Saudi Arabia national football team|Saudi Arabia]]'s national team based their training camp at Chōfu and used the stadium as a main training ground, although it did not host an actual World Cup match.

The stadium is often used for non-sport events, such as concerts and [[flea market]]s. It has been used as a shelter for survivors of the [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami]].<ref>[[People (magazine)|People Magazine]], April 4, 2011, p. 74</ref> The stadium was the  [[rugby at the 2020 Summer Olympics|rugby]] venue for the [[2020 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Venue Plan |url=http://tokyo2020.jp/en/plan/venue/index.html |publisher=Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee |access-date=11 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727040849/http://tokyo2020.jp/en/plan/venue/index.html |archive-date=27 July 2013 }}</ref> During the Olympics, the stadium was known as Tokyo Stadium due to [[International Olympic Committee]]'s non-commercialization policy.  The stadium has also been one of the venues for [[2019 Rugby World Cup]] and hosted the opening ceremony, followed by the opening match of the tournament, as well as other 7 matches including Bronze Final.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yokohama Stadium to host 2019 Rugby World Cup Final|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/28/japan-yokohama-stadium-rugby-world-cup-2019|work=The Guardian|date=28 September 2015|access-date=19 October 2015}}</ref>

=== Site ===
The north end of the stadium adjoins the [[Chofu Airport]], while Route 20 runs close to the south end. At the south end is the main gate, which is directly connected by a pedestrian bridge over Route 20.

=== Stand ===
The stand accommodates 49,970 and is divided into two levels; the upper level accommodates 20,600 and the lower level 29,370 (both are all-seated). On each level, the stand is divided into four sections (main, back, north and south sides).

The whole of the upper level, as well as upper tiers of the lower level, is covered by roof, which is made of [[Teflon]] (main and back) and [[polycarbonate]] (both sides). The main stand houses media and hospitality boxes, [[Very Important Person (person)|VIP]] rooms and reception hall. Two large [[LED]] displays are installed at both sides.

===Ground===
The ground was originally designed for both [[Track and field|athletics]] and football games. However, the construction of the supplementary ground, which is needed for compliance with 1st-grade athletic grounds in Japan, has been postponed. The management company has decided to use the ground mainly for football, and not to install a running track until the supplementary pitch has been added. Currently [[artificial turf]] is laid down all over the ground except the [[association football pitch|football field]] area, over which natural [[sod|turf]] is spread. Consequently, there is some room between the football pitch and the stand.

In 2013, the athletics track was finally installed in order to host the [[National Sports Festival of Japan]] at the same year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Projects - Tokyo Stadium|url=https://www.nihonsekkei.co.jp/projects/5489/?lang=en|website=Nihon Sekkei|access-date=22 April 2018|quote=It was constructed as the main stadium for the 2013 Tama National Games}}</ref> However, the artificial turf is still used over the track for football matches.

In order to comply with height limitation close to the airport, the pitch is sunk below the level of the land around the stadium.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

==2019 Rugby World Cup==
{{clear}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;" width="100%"
|-
!Date
!Time (JST)
!Team #1
!Res.
!Team #2
!Round
!Attendance
|-
|20 September 2019|||19:45||{{ru|JPN}}||style="text-align:center;"|30–10||{{ru|RUS}}||[[2019 Rugby World Cup Pool A|Pool A (opening match)]]||45,745
|-
|21 September 2019|||16:15||{{ru|FRA}}||style="text-align:center;"|23–21||{{ru|ARG}}||[[2019 Rugby World Cup Pool C|Pool C]]||40,004
|-
|29 September 2019|||16:45||{{ru|AUS}}||style="text-align:center;"|25–29||{{ru|WAL}}||[[2019 Rugby World Cup Pool D|Pool D]]||47,885
|-
|5 October 2019||17:00||{{ru|ENG}}||style="text-align:center;"|39–10||{{ru|ARG}}||[[2019 Rugby World Cup Pool C|Pool C]]||48,185
|-
|6 October 2019||13:45||{{ru|NZL}}||style="text-align:center;"|71–9||{{ru|NAM}}||[[2019 Rugby World Cup Pool B|Pool B]]||48,354
|-
|19 October 2019||19:15||{{ru|NZL}}||style="text-align:center;"|46–14||{{ru|IRE}}||[[2019 Rugby World Cup knockout stage#New Zealand vs Ireland|Quarter Final]]||46,686
|-
|20 October 2019||19:15||{{ru|JPN}}||style="text-align:center;"|3–26||{{ru|SAF}}||[[2019 Rugby World Cup knockout stage#Japan vs South Africa|Quarter Final]]||48,831
|-
|1 November 2019||18:00||{{ru|NZL}}||style="text-align:center;"|40–17||{{ru|WAL}}||[[2019 Rugby World Cup knockout stage#Bronze final: New Zealand vs Wales|Bronze Final]]||48,842
|}

==Football at the Olympic Games==
;Men's Tournament 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; width:100%;"
|-
!Date
!Time ([[Japan Standard Time|JST]])
!Team #1
!Res.
!Team #2
!Round
!Attendance
|-
||22 July 2021||17.00||{{fb|MEX}}||style="text-align:center;"|4–1||{{fb|FRA}}||[[Football at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament|Group A]]||style="text-align:center;"|0
|-
|22 July 2021||20.00||{{fb|JPN}}||style="text-align:center;"|1–0||{{fb|RSA}}||[[Football at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament|Group A]]||style="text-align:center;"|0
|}
;Women's Tournament 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; width:100%;"
|-
!Date
!Time ([[Japan Standard Time|JST]])
!Team #1
!Res.
!Team #2
!Round
!Attendance
|-
||21 July 2021||17.30||{{fb|SWE}}||style="text-align:center;"|3–0||{{fb|USA}}||[[Football at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|Group G]]||style="text-align:center;"|0
|-
|21 July 2021||20.30||{{fb|AUS}}||style="text-align:center;"|2–1||{{fb|NZL}}||[[Football at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|Group G]]||style="text-align:center;"|0
|}

== Access ==
* [[Keiō Line]]: 5 minutes' walk from {{STN|Tobitakyū}}
* [[Seibu Tamagawa Line]]: 20 minutes' walk from {{STN|Tama}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Ajinomoto Stadium}}
* {{Official website|http://www.ajinomotostadium.com}} {{in lang|ja}}

{{Tokyo Verdy}}
{{F.C. Tokyo}}
{{Chōfu, Tokyo}}
{{J. League Division 1 venues}}
{{J. League Division 2 venues}}
{{2019 Rugby World Cup venues}}
{{2020 Summer Olympic venues}}
{{Olympic venues football}}
{{Olympic venues rugby sevens}}
{{Olympic venues modern pentathlon}}

[[Category:Chōfu, Tokyo]]
[[Category:College football venues]]
[[Category:American football venues in Japan]]
[[Category:Football venues in Japan]]
[[Category:Rugby union stadiums in Japan]]
[[Category:Rugby union in Tokyo]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Tokyo]]
[[Category:Tokyo Verdy]]
[[Category:FC Tokyo]]
[[Category:Multi-purpose stadiums in Japan]]
[[Category:Venues of the 2020 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 2001]]
[[Category:2001 establishments in Japan]]
[[Category:Olympic football venues]]
[[Category:Olympic rugby venues]]
[[Category:Olympic modern pentathlon venues]]
[[Category:Ajinomoto]]