Stadiums in Japan: Kashiwa-no-Ha Stadium

Kashiwa-no-Ha Stadium upholds the tradition of ugliness and discomfort that seems to be "de rigeur" for older athletic stadiums in Japan. But Kashiwa-no-Ha does not have the excuse of most other such stadiums, which were built before the J.League was formed. On the contrary, it is Reysol's "new" stadium. The old one, Kashiwa Hitachi-dai Stadium, is still used for Reysol home matches due to the advantages of its football-only layout . Many fans would consider the new facility a step backwards. Whatever its drawbacks in terms of size and location, at least Hitachi-dai didnt have a running track separating fans from the action.

One advantage that Kashiwa-no-Ha Stadium has over Hitachi-dai is that most of the seats are covered. However, the roof design looks like something that was pieced together from left-over roofing tiles of other stadiums. The back stand looks like a cheap copy of Jubilo Stadium while the home stand looks like a disconnected piece from a half-dome, and the end-zones resemble nothing so much as a giant version of the shelters found over city bus stops. The broad running track does not manage to make the venue quite as cold and impersonal as Ichihara Stadium, but the atmosphere could only be described as dreary. On the positive side, access to the stadium is only poor, not terrible.

Kashiwa-no-Ha Stadium

Location:Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture		Capacity: 20,000
Home Team(s): Kashiwa Reysol		Completed: 1995

Stadium Access Kashiwa-no-ha Stadium is about a 10-15 minute walk from Edogawa-dai station on the Tobu Noda line. Taxi fare from the station is about 600 yen. Access by road is somewhat better, as the stadium is close to the Kashiwa interchange of the Joban Expressway (see map)

Click to enlarge

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Pictures of Kashiwa-no-Ha Stadium

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