Hakata-no-Mori Stadium

Hakata-no-Mori football ground is a truly beautiful, if somewhat aging facility. Many would say that such a fine, soccer-only stadium is wasted on the fickle fans of Avispa Fukuoka. The crowds have remained steady even after the team was demoted to the ranks of the second division (J2), but they were never really that tremendous to begin with. For connoisseurs of fine football stadiums, however, northern Kyushu has them in abundance, including not only Hakata-no-mori, but also Oita's "Big Eye" Stadium and even tiny Sagan Tosu's simple yet beautiful Tosu Stadium.

Hakata-no-Mori is built on a fairly basic, but nonetheless impressive double-arch plan. Like the acoustic "bowls" at outdoor amphitheaters, these concrete arches magnify crowd noise, making even the sedate Avispa fans sound rowdy. When a team with a good travelling fan base, like the Urawa Reds, or Albirex Niigata show up, the place can be almost deafening. About the only major drawback of the stadium is its location -- a bit far from the city center. However, transport links are reasonably good, so a visit to Hakata-no-Mori is a less trying experience than a trip to some other J.League stadiums