Stadiums in Japan: Naruto Stadium

Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture

Naruto Stadium is one of the newest entries to the list of J.League stadiums, as the home park of J2 club Tokushima Vortis. The city of Tokushima has really thrown their support behind the club, and it is a bit unfortunate that they do not have a better facility to reward their loyalty to the team. Naruto Stadium has a few features that distinguish it from the run-of-the-mill multipurpose facility, such as high overhanging banks on both sidelines which provide a better angle view of the pitch for those in the front rows, and curved banks of stands in both end zones. However, these are little more than decoration. The seats are still an inordinately long distance from the pitch, and there is no protection from the elements except in the small cluster of "prestige" seats below the press box. Nevertheless, as the newcomers to the J.League, the fans of Tokushima will do their best to make up for the lack of warmth in their stadium with the warmth of their support, and "Awa Soul"