Stadiums in Japan: Hakata-no-Mori Stadium

Hakata Town, Fukuoka Prefecture

Hakata-no-Mori football ground is a truly beautiful, if somewhat understated facility. Many would say that such a fine, soccer-only stadiuim is wasted on the fickle fans of Avispa Fukuoka. The crowds have remained steady even after the team was demoted to the ranks of the second division (J2), but they were never really that tremendous to begin with. For conuisseurs of fine football stadiums, however, northern Kyushu has them in abundance, including not only Hakata-no-mori, but also Oita's "Big Eye" Stadium and even tiny Sagan Tosu's simple yet beautiful Tosu Stadium.
Hakata-no-Mori is built on a fairly basic, but nonetheless impressive double-arch plan. Like the acoustic "bowls" at outdoor ampitheaters, these concrete arches magnify crowd noise, making even the sedate Avispa fans sound rowdy. When a team with a good travelling fan base, like the Urawa Reds, or Albirex Niigata show up, the place can be almost deafening. About the only major drawback of the stadium is its location -- a bit far from the city center. However, transport links are reasonably good, so a visit to Hakata-no-Mori is a less trying experience than a trip to some other J.League stadiums

Hakata-no-Mori Stadium

Location:Hakata Town, Fukuoka Prefecture		Capacity: 22,563
Home Team(s): Avispa Fukuoka		Completed: 1989

Stadium Access

The best access to the stadium by rail is via the Fukuoka city subway. Take the Airport line to Fukuoka Airport station and use exit 4. The stadium is about a 20 minute walk from the station. If arriving by JR rail, transfer at JR Hakata station, on the Kagoshima line, and transfer to the subway. There is also bus service directly to the stadium, leaving from bus depot 1 in front of Hakata station. Take bus number 39-B and get off at "Higashi Hirao Koen Iriguchi" bus stop.