Tokyo Dome

Home of the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants*

Photo: Russel Tiffin (IG: @npb.stadiums.tour)

Photo: Brad Smith

Opened in: 1988

Stadium Capacity: 46,000

Dimensions: LF & RF: 100 m (328 ft) / CF: 122 m (400 ft)

Description: The Tokyo Dome was the first indoor stadium built in Japan. It is not only the home of the Giants, but also hosts a multitude of concerts and other events throughout the year. “The Big Egg” has an air-supported roof and looks quite similar to the old Metrodome in Minneapolis.

It is nearly always sold out, and has facilities surrounding it to provide entertainment for more than just the three hours of baseball. The Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame is adjacent to the stadium, as is an amusement park area called Tokyo Dome City.

More often than not, when baseball teams from the majors play in Japan, games will be at the Tokyo Dome. In one tournament game in November 2016, Shohei Ohtani hit a ball through a seam in the dome’s roof, becoming the first and only player to hit an out-of-the-park home run at the Tokyo Dome.

Not only is the stadium a point of interest for baseball fans, but it is also used as a point of reference when talking about other large spaces throughout Japan. (Example: Celebrity X’s property is the equivalent of 5 Tokyo Domes in area.)

*The Nippon-Ham Fighters play around eight home games each year at the Tokyo Dome, giving their Tokyo-based fans a chance to see them play in their former home.