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Saitama Super Arena

Coordinates: 35°53′41.60″N 139°37′51.00″E / 35.8948889°N 139.6308333°E / 35.8948889; 139.6308333
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Saitama Super Arena
Map
Location8 Shintoshin, Chūō-ku, Saitama, Saitama, Japan
Coordinates35°53′41.60″N 139°37′51.00″E / 35.8948889°N 139.6308333°E / 35.8948889; 139.6308333
Public transit JR East:
Saitama-Shintoshin
■ Takasaki Line
■ Utsunomiya Line
■ Keihin-Tōhoku Line
Kita-Yono
■ Saikyō Line
OwnerSaitama Arena Corp.
Capacity36,500
Construction
OpenedSeptember 1, 2000
Construction costYEN ¥ 20 billion
USD $ 195 million
EUR € 142 million
ArchitectDan Meis[1] Ellerbe Becket[2]

Saitama Super Arena (さいたまスーパーアリーナ, Saitama Sūpā Arīna) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama City, Saitama, Japan. Its spectator capacity is 36,500 at maximum settings,[3] making it the fourth largest indoor arena in the world. This main arena capacity is between 19,000 and 22,500 when events such as basketball, volleyball, tennis, ice hockey, gymnastics, boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling take place there. It is also the only Japanese arena equipped especially for American football.

The arena was designed by Dan Meis, who at the time was working for architecture firm Ellerbe Becket[4]. Dan Meis's design was selected as a result of an international design competition[5]. The arena features a gigantic movable section of seating which can reduce capacity for smaller events and create a more intimate setting.

It formerly housed the John Lennon Museum, which displayed John Lennon memorabilia and closed in 2010.

It gained worldwide recognition as a sports venue when it hosted the final round of the official 2006 Basketball World Championship. Today, it is one of two home arenas to Japan Professional Basketball League team the Saitama Broncos.

It is a favorite venue for puroresu (Japanese professional wrestling) and mixed martial arts (MMA), and has hosted many of the biggest fights in MMA history.

Access

History[6]

Event hosting

Sport and Martial arts

With an MMA event – Yarennoka! – December 2007

The Saitama Super Arena was preliminarily opened on May 5, 2000, and then officially opened on September 1 of the same year. The architecture firm Nikken Sekkei won the international design competition.

In 2000, the arena hosted two NHL ice hockey games between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2003, NBA basketball teams Seattle SuperSonics and the Los Angeles Clippers, played two games. On February 7, 2005 the arena hosted WWE Raw for United States cable television network Spike TV. The main event of the Raw hour was Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels, and the main event of the Raw Zone hour featured Triple H against Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship. In 2006, the arena hosted the Final Round of the Basketball World Championship 2006.

On December 31, 2007, the arena hosted Yarennoka, an MMA promotion organized by the former staff members of Pride Fighting Championship. On November 29, 2009, the arena hosted one of the biggest fights in Japan's history as WBC Flyweight Champion Daisuke Naito defends his title against Koki Kameda. On December 31, 2009, the arena hosted "FieLDS Dynamite!! The Power of Courage 2009" which was hosted by MMA promotions Dream and Sengoku along with kickboxing promotion K–1. On December 31, 2010, the arena hosted "FieLDS Dynamite!! ~ Power of Courage 2010" which was hosted by fight promotions DREAM and K–1. The arena hosted the Japanese return of the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 26, 2012 for UFC 144. Followed by UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann on March 3, 2013 and UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson on September 20, 2014 as well as UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson on September 26, 2015. It will host Basketball competitions at 2020 Summer Olympics hosted by Tokyo.

The venue hosts a major martial arts on New Year's Eve since 2001. It was sanctioned by Pride Fighting Championships from 2003 to 2006, and by K-1 from 2008 to 2011. Since 2015 the event is the final round of the Rizin Fighting Federation.[7]

The 2014 and 2019 World Figure Skating Championships were held at the venue. It was announced that the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors would play two games here.

Music

Besides sport and martial arts competition, there were held many music events, like Music Station, Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ, Animelo Summer Live, or humanitary Dream Power concerts organized by Yoko Ono.[8] Many notable Japanese music acts performed at the arena, alphabetically: AKB48, Namie Amuro, B'z, Babymetal, Bump of Chicken, Minori Chihara, Masaharu Fukuyama, Gackt, Glay, Ayumi Hamasaki, Tomoyasu Hotei, The Gazette, Janne Da Arc, Kamen Joshi, Berryz Kobo, Mai Kuraki, L'Arc-en-Ciel, Luna Sea, Nana Mizuki, Man with a Mission, Momoiro Clover Z, Morning Musume, Mr. Children, Nightmare, Nogizaka46, Kana Nishino, One Ok Rock, Pierrot, Radwimps, Sakamoto Maaya, Scandal, Shiina Ringo, Siam Shade, Sid, Spyair, Sound Horizon, Hikaru Utada, Vamps and fripSide.

Some Japanese anime projects like Uta no Prince-sama, Love Live!, K-On!, The Idolmaster, and Touken Ranbu saw live musical realization in the arena.

International artists also performed there, like Madonna, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Guns N' Roses, Beyoncé, Linkin Park, Ariana Grande, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Avril Lavigne, Backstreet Boys, Muse, DragonForce, Metallica, Radiohead, AC/DC, Jeff Mills, Taylor Swift, U2, Iron Maiden, One Direction, Katy Perry, and K-pop acts BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, SS501, Kara, Girls' Generation, Apink, Big Bang, 2PM, F.T. Island, 2NE1, Shinee, CNBLUE, Seventeen, Kim Jae-joong, Exo, Twice and NCT 127. Queen + Paul Rodgers performed there and the concerts were depicted in the concert DVD Super Live in Japan. Green Day taped the show for their new live album titled Awesome as Fuck. The Coverdale's band Whitesnake during the Loud Park Festival recorded their performance for a live album Made in Japan. The Festival has also had other internationally renowned rock and metal bands like Scorpions, Amorphis, Nightwish, Exodus and Slayer.[9] Due to his particular brand of Electronic Metal, Venezuelan DJ Zardonic played a guest set at the Big Rock Stage, making it the first time in history that an Electronic Producer performs at the festival.[10][11]

See also

  • U Arena, a venue near Paris similar in concept to the Super Arena

References

  1. ^ [1] architect Dan Meis
  2. ^ Saitama Super Arena Archived 2011-06-11 at the Wayback Machine architect Ellerbe Becket
  3. ^ "Facility Information | SAITAMA SUPER ARENA". SAITAMA SUPER ARENA. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  4. ^ "Saitama Super Arena". https://www.mondoworldwide.com. Retrieved 2019-05-10. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  5. ^ "Saitama Super Arena". https://www.mondoworldwide.com. Retrieved 2019-05-10. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  6. ^ :ja:さいたまスーパーアリーナ as of 2007-07-04T07:48:17
  7. ^ Rizin debut leaves questions unanswered - Dave Meltzer, 6 January 2016
  8. ^ "Dream Power Super Live events history". Dream Power (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-10-04.
  9. ^ "ENGLISH – LOUD PARK 16". Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  10. ^ "Zardonic Interview – LivingTheVanLife". Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  11. ^ "ZARDONIC Releases "Pure Power" Lyric Video Off 'Antihero' – Clubhead TV: Clubhead TV". Retrieved 2017-01-14.
Preceded by FIBA World Cup
Final Venue
2006 		Succeeded by
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