Japan National Stadium

The main venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, completed in 2019 by a joint team including Kengo Kuma. Its eaves are clad in timber from all 47 Japanese prefectures, embodying the concept of a 'Forest Stadium'.

Use

Office tower

Area

Shinjuku City

Completed

2019

Floors

5 above ground, 2 below

Height

47 m

Total floor area

approx. 192,050 m²

Developer

Japan Sport Council

Architect

Taisei Corporation / Azusa Sekkei / Kengo Kuma and Associates

A Forest Rising in the City

In Kasumigaoka-machi, Shinjuku City, adjacent to the greenery of Meijijingu Gaien, the Japan National Stadium was completed in November 2019. The project was a joint venture of Taisei Corporation, Azusa Sekkei, and Kengo Kuma and Associates. It stands approximately 47 metres tall, with five floors above ground and two below, enclosing a total floor area of about 192,050 square metres.

The defining visual element is the deep eave that runs all the way around the building’s perimeter. Timber sourced from all 47 prefectures of Japan was worked into these eaves, layering a natural material over the steel-and-concrete skeleton beneath. The design team called it a “Forest Stadium”: the wooden lattice softens incoming light and allows air to move through in a way that few stadiums of this scale manage. The result is a building that, despite its size, does not feel hard or imposing.

Carrying the Memory Forward

The site had long been home to the National Kasumigaoka Athletic Stadium, which opened in 1958 and served as a venue during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. That structure was demolished to make way for the present building, which stands on the same ground.

The stadium holds approximately 68,000 spectators. During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics — held in 2021 after a one-year postponement — it served as the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies and the athletics programme. Since the Games, it has hosted J.League football, international athletics, and large-scale concerts. From 2026, a naming-rights agreement introduced the commercial name “MUFG Stadium,” though the official facility name remains Japan National Stadium.

Summary

The Japan National Stadium was completed in 2019, with five floors above ground and two below, standing approximately 47 metres tall, with a total floor area of roughly 192,050 square metres. Its timber eaves, sourced from every Japanese prefecture, make it one of the most distinctively regional large stadiums in the world. The greenery of Meijijingu Gaien that frames the building means the surrounding area is worth a visit even on quiet, non-event days.

Related: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No. 1 / Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower

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