Thursday, March 19, 2009

b?'s magical mystery stadium tour! #9

Roll up, roll up for the stadium tour! The crack of the bat, the smell of the grass, it's spring again. Ahh, it's spring again! Although the 1st pitch of the 2009 NPB season is still a few weeks away, it's time to start rolling out my "b?'s magical mystery stadium tour!!" To start, here's a list of the stadiums I have yet to visit here in Japan:
*note: I will visit Sapporo dome in June, and I will try to visit the new Hiroshima stadium this year. Other than those, all remaining stadiums are stupid domes...

Sapporo Dome, 札幌ドーム
Location: Sapporo、Hokkaido
場所:札幌、北海道
Home Team: Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters
チーム:北海道日本ハムファイターズ
Capacity/定員: 53,845
Opened: June 3, 2001

Fukuoka Dome, 福岡ドーム
Location: Fukuoka
場所:福岡、福岡県
Home team: Fukuoka Softbank Hawks
チーム:福岡ソフトバンクホークス
Capacity/定員: 35,695
Opened: April 2, 1993

Nagoya Dome, 名古屋ドーム
Location: Nagoa, Aichi Prefecture
場所:名古屋、愛知県
Home Team: Chunichi Dragons
チーム:中日ドラゴンズ
Capacity/定員: 40,500
Opened: March 15, 1997

Kyocera Dome, 京セラドーム
Location: Osaka
場所:大阪、大阪府
Home Team: Orix Buffaloes, Hanshin Tigers
チーム:オリックスバファローズ、阪神タイガース
Capacity/定員: 36,477
Opened: March 1, 1997

the countdown from 9-1 begins now!

#9: Tokyo Dome, 東京ドーム
Location: Tokyo
場所:東京、東京都
Home team: Tokyo Yomiuri Giants
チーム:東京読売ジャイアンツ
Capacity/定員:: 55,000
Opened: March 17, 1988
By far the worst stadium I've been to in Japan. It's not close. It's a dome. The seats are small, the aisles are narrow, the walls are high, obstructed view seats and steep slopes in the outfield... shame, shame. Tokyo dome, aka the big egg, is located in Korakuen (後楽園 (aka Tokyo dome city, an amusement park)) in central Tokyo with easy access from Korakuen (後楽園駅) and Suidobashi (水道橋駅) stations. Concessions are decent and one of only a few stadiums where you can see the field from the concourse (excluding the outfield). Tokyo dome is pressurized so you are sucked in and blown out of the revolving doors. The biggest negative (aside from the roof and the overall forgetfulness of the stadium itself) is the security. Security is very strict so you'll either be paying inflated prices inside, or you'll be carrying 5 cups to your seat. Oh yeah, and it's the home of the most annoying fans in Japan with the most annoying cheers for the most annoying team. At least there's never a rain out...
location: +5
history: -2
fanmasphere: -5
concessions: +3
smoking: -2
bathrooms: +2
sight lines: -2
field surface: -5
outside: -4
surroundings: +3
seats: -5
atmosphere: -5
security: -5

total: -24

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