Konohana Arena, Sports arena in Suruga-ku, Japan
Konohana Arena is an indoor sports venue in Suruga-ku, Shizuoka Prefecture, with seating for around 3,300 spectators. It has several courts and training areas, making it suited for both competition events and regular team practice sessions.
The old Kusanagi gymnasium, designed by Yamashita Juro's office and built by Sumitomo Construction, opened in 1966 and hosted concerts by Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston before closing on 31 March 2015. Its replacement, nicknamed Konohana Arena after Konohanasakuya-hime, opened on 2 April 2015 on the former Shizuoka Gakuen site next door, with a sumo tournament marking the debut on 5 April.
The nickname Konohana Arena was chosen in 2014 from public submissions and refers to Konohanasakuya-hime, the deity of Mount Fuji. The arena is the home court of Veltex Shizuoka in the B.League, Japan's professional basketball league. The old hall on the site hosted concerts by Seiko Matsuda, THE ALFEE, Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston.
The nearest station is Ken Sogo Undojo on the Shizuoka Railway, a 5-minute walk from the arena. The venue sits inside the Kusanagi Sports Complex, alongside the athletics stadium, baseball grounds and swimming pool, so allow extra time to find the right building.
The nickname Konohana Arena was chosen in 2014 from public submissions, after the goddess Konohanasakuya-hime, the deity honoured at Mount Fuji. The arena's titanium-zinc alloy outer walls were chosen for low maintenance and long life, while the interior uses Tenryu cedar from Shizuoka Prefecture.
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