Japanese

　Urawa Reds’home, Saitama Stadium 2002, was built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/JapanTM. It hosted four matches, including the semi-final between Brazil and Turkey.
With a capacity of 63,700, it is Japan’s biggest specialised football ground.
　Saitama Prefecture built the stadium at a cost of 35.6 billion yen as a focus for new development about 8 kilometres east from the city centre. This still rural area is expected to develop as a delightful 21st century urban community during the next two decades.
　The prefecture chose to be a part of the World Cup bid in the early nineties and the decision to build a stadium where 60,000 supporters could watch in complete comfort and safety was approved in 1994.
　This district used to be a huge marsh prior to massive reclamation work in the 18th century.
The ground remains soft, and the great roofs on the eastern and western flanks had to be especially light. They represent a brace of dancing shirasagi herons, birds still common in the ponds and rice paddies of the region.
　The stadium’s greatest pride is a seating design that gives every one of the 63,700 seats a clear and enjoyable view of the game. This is a world class stadium where everybody, in effect, sits in the Royal Box. The massive Aurora Vision display is another of the prides of Saitama Stadium. For 2014, a belt video system called the Aurora Ribbon was also added. The Aurora Vision and Ribbon are coordinated when announcing the starting line-ups to produce a dynamic visual effect.
　For all Japanese fans, the unforgettable memories are from Japan's opening game against Belgium at the 2002 World Cup, when goals by Takayuki Suzuki and Junichi Inamoto earned a 2-2 draw and Japan's first ever World Cup point.
　Saitama Stadium was officially registered alongside Komaba as Reds’home stadium in August, 2004. The Urawa Reds office was moved to a location inside the stadium in March, 2005, to serve from there as the club’s main base.
　On December 2, 2006, Reds won their first ever J. League championship in 14years of trying at Saitama. On November 14, 2007, Reds became the first J. League club to win the Asian Champions League by prevailing in the second leg of the final against Sepahan of Iran. This was the stadium where Urawa Reds were crowned as champions of Asia. We can be sure that many more dreams will be made here.

Saitama Stadium 2002 Map
Saitama Stadium 2002  
20 min. walk from Urawa Misono Station


●From Tokyo Station
(About 55 mins. to Urawa Misono Station)
Take the JR Keihin-Tohoku Line from Tokyo to Oji and change there for the through train on the Tokyo Metro Nanboku and Saitama Kosoku Tetsudo Lines to Urawa Misono. Walk, bus or taxi from there to the stadium.

●From Ueno Station
(About 45 mins. to Urawa Misono Station)
Take the JR Keihin-Tohoku Line from Ueno to Oji and change there for the through train on the Tokyo Metro Nanboku and Saitama Kosoku Tetsudo Lines to Urawa Misono. Walk, bus or taxi from there to the stadium.

●From Shinjuku Station
(About 50 mins. to Urawa Misono Station)
Take the JR Yamanote Line from Shinjuku to Komagome and change there for the through train on the Tokyo Metro Nanboku and Saitama Kosoku Tetsudo Lines to Urawa Misono. Walk, bus or taxi from there to the stadium.

●From Haneda Airport
(About 80 mins. to Urawa Misono Station)
Take the Tokyo Monorail from Haneda Airport to Hamamatsucho and change there for the JR Keihin-Tohoku Line to Oji. From Oji, take the through train on the Tokyo Metro Nanboku and Saitama Kosoku Tetsudo Lines to Urawa Misono. Walk, bus or taxi from there to the stadium.

●From Narita Airport
(About 120 mins. to Urawa Misono Station)
Take an express train on the Keisei Line from Narita Airport to Nishi-Nippori, changing there for the JR Keihin-Tohoku Line to Oji. From Oji, take the through train on the Tokyo Metro Nanboku and Saitama Kosoku Tetsudo Lines to Urawa Misono. Walk, bus or taxi from there to the stadium.

The stadium is a 20-minute walk from Urawa Misono Station. Please aim to arrive at Urawa Misono Station at least 1 hour before kick-off because the route does get very crowded on match days. A shuttle bus (\100) runs from the station to the stadium (but not the other way) from 4 and a half hours before kick-off.