Kose Athletic Stadium

Kose Althletic Stadium, in Kofu, is just another of the many 1970s-era multipurpose stasiums that can be found in rural towns throughout Japan. Originally it had a seating capacity of just 13,000, but when Ventforet Kofu won promotion to the J1, in 2005, it was expanded to the current 17,000 by putting stands in each end zone and adding a second deck to the back stand. With its featureless ring of stands and small roofed area over the "prestige seats", Kose has nothing architecturally to distinguish it from other stadiums of that era. However, the setting for the stadium is a different matter. Surrounded by a ring of high, snow-capped mountains, the Yamanashi valley is scenic regardless of where it is viewed from, and the flat meadows that host the stadium and surrounding park make the view all the more impressive.

The setting is not the only thing that makes Kose special. Some believe that the stadium has a magical quality that preserves those within it, even when they face overwhelming odds. Fans refer to it by such nicknames as "Kose-jo" (Kose Castle), in the wake of a clean sheet, or "Kose Gekijo" (Kose Theatre) to celebrate another last-second comeback. As even the strongest visiting teams discover, the fans in Yamanashi can be as as loud and as intimidating to opponents as those in any other park in Japan. Call it a rare "ornery streak" in the Yamanashi DNA, but both opposing players and nonplussed referees insist that Ventforet fans rival even the Saitama Red Army for intimidation.