Ariake Arena

A large multipurpose arena completed in December 2019 in Ariake, Koto City, Tokyo. Developed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and designed by Kume Sekkei with Takenaka Corporation, it seats approximately 15,000 and served as the Olympic volleyball venue at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Use

Office tower

Area

Koto City

Completed

2019

Floors

5 above ground

Height

37 m

Total floor area

approx. 47,200 m²

Developer

Tokyo Metropolitan Government

Architect

Kume Sekkei (design) / Takenaka Corporation JV (construction)

Tokyo’s Olympic Volleyball House on the Bay

Completed in December 2019, Ariake Arena stands on reclaimed land in Ariake, Koto City, on Tokyo’s bay-front. The building is five storeys above ground and approximately 37 metres tall, with a total floor area of about 47,200 square metres. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government commissioned the project; Kume Sekkei handled basic design, while Takenaka Corporation led the construction joint venture. The main arena seats approximately 15,000 (including temporary stands), with a construction cost estimated at roughly ¥36.1 billion in 2015.

For the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games — held in 2021 after a one-year postponement — the arena hosted Olympic volleyball and Paralympic wheelchair basketball, bringing it to global attention. Construction began in 2017, and the building was part of a broader plan to develop the Ariake Legacy Zone alongside the Ariake Colosseum tennis facility. The zone now anchors the bay-front cluster of event and recreation venues that stretches toward Ariake Garden and the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal.

Designed to Keep Working After the Games

One of the persistent criticisms of Olympic facilities is the cost of maintaining venues that see little use after the closing ceremony. Ariake Arena was designed with this challenge in mind. Its seismic-isolation roof, retractable temporary seating, and flexible floor configuration allow the arena to transition smoothly between sports events, concerts, and martial arts competitions — the full range of large-scale indoor entertainment.

Reaching the arena is straightforward: the Yurikamome automated guideway stops at Ariake Tennis-no-Mori Station a few minutes’ walk away. This accessibility, combined with the growing commercial and hospitality infrastructure in the surrounding bay district, positions Ariake Arena as a durable addition to Tokyo’s event landscape well beyond its Olympic role.

Summary

Ariake Arena was completed in 2019: five storeys, approximately 37 metres tall, 47,200 square metres of floor space, and roughly 15,000 seats. It served as the official volleyball venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and continues to operate as a multipurpose arena. For hotels near the bay-front Ariake area, Rakuten Travel is a convenient starting point.