Yokohama Arena

Yokohama Arena (横浜アリーナ, Yokohama Arīna) is an indoor arena located in Yokohama, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 17,000 and was opened in 1989. The arena was modeled after US sports venue Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is a five-minute walk from the closest subway station, Shin-Yokohama Station on the JR/Yokohama Municipal Subway.

As one of the largest concert venues in the Kantō region, it is a frequent location for artists to end their tours. The spacious stage allows for more complex set design and lighting, but the reasonable size makes it easier to sell out than the Tokyo Dome.

History

K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 Final in Yokohama Arena.

The Yokohama Arena was opened on April 1, 1989. At the exact day was held the opening celebration concert where performed renowned Japanese singer-songwriter Yumi Matsutoya, and the three upcoming days were additional dates of her concert tour. Many notable Japanese music acts performed at the arena, alphabetically: AKB48, Namie Amuro, Aqours, B'z, Babymetal, Buck-Tick, °C-ute, Gackt, The Gazette, Glay, Ayumi Hamasaki, Hide, Ikimono-gakari, L'Arc-en-Ciel, Luna Sea, Nana Mizuki, Morning Musume, Mr. Children, One Ok Rock, Ai Otsuka, Silent Siren, Southern All Stars, Hikaru Utada, X Japan, as well humanoid projection Hatsune Miku. International artists also performed there, like Mariah Carey, Paula Abdul, Whitney Houston and Steve Winwood and Kpop groups Super Junior, Girls' Generation, Shinee, Big Bang, Kara, 2NE1, TVXQ, F.T. Island, CNBlue, Junho (2PM), f(x) (band), BTS and Seventeen.

Besides music events, there was held a martial arts competition, K-1 World Grand Prix Final in 2008.

2011 Tōhoku earthquake/tsunami relief

After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and resulting tsunami, Yokohama played host as an emergency shelter for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Citizens were allowed the stay the night, and were offered blankets and other amenities. Hideharu Terada, a Yokohama Arena official stated "There has never been a big earthquake like this. [...] People are trickling in. They are all calm."^[1]

In popular culture

Yokohama Arena is one of the venues featured in the manga and anime series Hajime no Ippo.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yokohama Arena.

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