I attended the New Japan Pro-Wrestling G1 CLIMAX 32 Nippon Budokan event on August 18, 2022!
First, let me ask you a few questions. Have you ever experienced live professional wrestling in the arena seats at Nippon Budokan? What do you think about the atmosphere felt while watching live from the TV broadcast, first floor seats, or second floor seats? It’s such a waste if you don’t know the intensity of watching from the arena seats. Don’t you want to feel the greatness of professional wrestling even more? What do you think happens when you get to know the view from the arena seats?
Nippon Budokan has arena seats, first floor seats, and second floor seats, each with a different entrance.
To access the arena seats, you enter through the main entrance on the first floor and then go down the stairs.
After passing through the vending machine and restroom areas, you will find…
The Nippon Budokan Arena!!!
Depending on the event, the back of the arena seats may also be set up as tiered seating.
In recent New Japan Pro-Wrestling events at Nippon Budokan, there tends to be tiered seating in the 12th and 13th rows, and the 14th and 15th rows at the rear of the east, west, and south sides. My seat this time was in the 12th row, seat number 6 on the west side, which was much closer than it appears in the photos. It’s surprising just how close it is.
The biggest appeal of the arena seats is that you can watch the match at the same height as the ring! This is the most important point. The arena seats are the only place where you can watch the match from a viewpoint looking up at the ring. The lower angle compared to usual adds to the intensity, making the impact of the moves feel even more powerful.
In the first and second floor seats, you look down at the ring from above, which doesn’t provide the same sense of height.
Furthermore, there is a sense of reality that can only be felt when you are in the same position as the wrestlers, such as the impact of being slammed onto the mat, the sound of striking techniques colliding, and the intensity of brawls outside the ring. Additionally, there is a certain heat from the audience that cannot be felt in the first and second floor seats. The sound comes down from above. The deep, rumbling stomping sound that occurs at a 2.99 count is something I would love for you to experience firsthand!
The entrance gate for the wrestlers is located on the north side. If you want to see the athletes up close, be sure to aim for that area. There are designations for northeast and northwest.
Also, as mentioned earlier, the rear rows may be set up as tiered seating, so you need to be cautious. If you’re likely to end up in a mediocre position, it might be worth considering aiming for the rear rows. In the Super Junior finals in June, I watched from the northeast side.
By all means, please experience professional wrestling in the arena seats at Nippon Budokan!
