Kobe World Memorial Hall: Capacity, Access & Seating Guide
World Memorial Hall (ワールド記念ホール) is an indoor arena on Kobe's artificial Port Island that holds up to about 8,000 people — 3,528 fixed stand seats plus a removable arena floor for roughly 4,500 more. It's at 6-12-2 Minatojima-Nakamachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, a 3-minute walk from Shimin Hiroba Station on the Port Liner. This guide has the verified capacity, address, access and the hall's own visitor rules, for planning a concert, wrestling card or exhibition here.
Capacity
| Configuration | Seats |
|---|---|
| Fixed stand seating (blocks A–O) | 3,528 |
| Arena floor (temporary, layout varies by event) | up to ~4,500 |
| Maximum total | ~8,000 |
The arena floor is an oval, 82.5m by 42.5m, with a floor area of about 3,100㎡ and ceiling height up to roughly 30m — big enough for full touring stage rigs. The hall itself is a reinforced-concrete building with about 13,325㎡ of total floor area across basement to 3rd floor. Arena-floor seat numbers are not fixed: the official FAQ is explicit that they're re-configured for every event, so always check the seating chart for the specific show you're attending rather than assuming a past layout.
History
World Memorial Hall opened in 1984, built with a ¥2 billion donation from World Co., Ltd. — the source of its name. It was Japan's second venue (after Osaka-jo Hall in 1983) purpose-built to international indoor-athletics-arena specifications, and the first structure in the world built using the "Pantadome" construction method. It hosted indoor events at the 1985 Kobe Universiade, and later the 1991 Asian Basketball Championship. Since 2003 it has hosted Dragon Gate's annual pro-wrestling festival, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling's September "Destruction" pay-per-view has run here regularly since 2012. Over the decades it has also hosted major touring concerts — its historical bookings include international acts from the 1990s through recent K-pop tours — though exact dates for any specific past show should be confirmed with the artist or promoter rather than assumed from this page.
Address
6-12-2 Minatojima-Nakamachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0046 (〒650-0046 神戸市中央区港島中町6-12-2). Phone: 078-302-8781.
Getting there
- Shimin Hiroba Station (Port Liner) — exit and turn left (west exit), about a 3-minute walk
- Sannomiya (JR / Hanshin / Hankyu / Kobe Municipal Subway all converge here) — transfer to the Port Liner and ride 5 stops, about 10 minutes, to Shimin Hiroba
- Shin-Kobe (Shinkansen) — take the subway to Sannomiya first, then the Port Liner as above
- Kobe Airport — the Port Liner runs directly between the airport and Shimin Hiroba in the opposite direction; based on the line's published station-to-station times this is roughly 8 minutes, though the operator doesn't quote that single figure directly, so treat it as an estimate
- By car — Hanshin Expressway Route 3 Kobe Line, Kyobashi exit is the recommended one. There is no customer parking lot at the venue itself; use one of the paid lots nearby.
Visitor rules (official FAQ)
- No coin lockers inside the hall
- No venue-run childcare facility (some organizers provide one per event — ask the event organizer, not the hall)
- Fully non-smoking indoors; outdoor smoking areas are set up per event
- Late or mid-show entry rules vary by event — contact the event's organizer, not the venue
- Tickets, box office, on-the-day sales and refunds are all handled by each event's organizer — the hall itself doesn't sell or manage tickets
- Lost & found is handled directly by the hall (office hours 9:00–17:00); items are typically sorted and available for pickup from around 10:00 the next morning
FAQ
What is World Memorial Hall's capacity? Up to about 8,000: 3,528 fixed stand seats (blocks A–O) plus a removable arena floor adding roughly 4,500 more. Arena-floor numbering changes per event.
What's the nearest station to World Memorial Hall? Shimin Hiroba Station on the Port Liner — a 3-minute walk from the west exit.
Is there parking at World Memorial Hall? No on-site customer parking — use nearby paid lots. By car, exit the Hanshin Expressway Route 3 Kobe Line at Kyobashi.
Are there coin lockers? No. There's also no venue-run childcare; check with your event's organizer if you need either.
Related venues
For Osaka's equivalent large arena, see the venues in the Zepp live-house guide. For Tokyo and Yokohama's biggest arenas, see Ariake Arena and K-Arena Yokohama.
Official venue pages: https://www.kobe-spokyo.jp/world-kobe/access and https://www.kobe-spokyo.jp/world-kobe/faq (capacity and access verified as of July 2026). Seating layout and usable capacity vary by event — always check your specific show's page before you buy, and confirm ticketing directly with the event organizer, not the hall.