Designed by world-famous architect Kenzo Tange for the 1964 Olympics, the stadium was home to the swimming and diving events. In 2021, it was again used as an Olympics venue, this time for handball.

The landmark building is considered to be “the birth of modern Japanese architecture” by Kengo Kuma, who was inspired to enter the world of architecture after seeing the building, and subsequently went on to design the new Olympic Stadium for 2020.

The space has been used for volleyball championships, Westlife concerts and even Britney Spears shows—we’re sure Tange would be proud.

Suggested Activity
Get Tickets To the Samurai Restaurant in Shinjuku (Up to 30% Off)
Experience one of the craziest, most colorful places in Tokyo — the all-new Samurai Restaurant, from the creators of the Robot Restaurant. Get your tickets and sit back for a wild show of lasers, lights, samurai, dancers and other uniquely Japanese weirdness.
Yoyogi National Stadium
Photo by Tokyo 2020

The stadium is a short walk from Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line and Meijijingumae Station on the Tokyo Metro. The sidewalks and pedestrian overbridge connecting the station with the stadium can be intensely crowded on weekends.