Tokyo Dome
Tōkyō Dome (東京ドーム
Tōkyō Dōmu, ) is a 55,000-seat
stadium located in
Bunkyo Ward of
Tokyo,
Japan. It is the home field of the
Yomiuri Giants baseball team, and has also hosted
basketball and
American football games, as well as
Puroresu (pro-wrestling) matches,
Mixed Martial Arts events,
K-1 Kickboxing events, and music concerts. Its dome-shaped roof is an
air-supported structure, a flexible membrane held up by slightly pressurizing the inside of the stadium.
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The Tokyo Dome and Tokyo Dome City amusement park. |
Tōkyō Dome's original nickname was "The Big Egg." However, this has fallen from use and is rarely heard. It opened for business on
March 17,
1988 and was built on the site of its predecessor, Kōrakuen Stadium. Like Kōrakuen, the Dome hosts the
Toei Superheroes of the year.
In addition to being an arena, the Tōkyō Dome also has an
amusement park on its grounds. Named
Tokyo Dome City, it includes a
roller coaster and
Ferris wheel as well as some shops and restaurants.
The
Chicago Cubs and the
New York Mets played a pair of games here to open the
2000 season, the first time American
major league baseball teams have played regular-season games in Asia. The
New York Yankees and the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays played two games there in March of
2004 to open that season.
In August
2005, the
Atlanta Falcons beat the
Indianapolis Colts 27-20 in the first
NFL preseason game of the year in the stadium.
The Tōkyō Dome has hosted several championship prizefights, including the
heavyweight boxing championship fight on
February 10,
1990, where
Mike Tyson lost the championship to 42-1 shot
James "Buster" Douglas by a tenth-round knockout.
In their song, "The Sounder," the
virtual band Gorillaz makes a reference to the Tōkyō Dome, saying: "Gorillaz rock the dome just like the one in
Tokyo."
The Tōkyō Dome is the largest concert facility in Japan. A number of famous concerts have been held here, including tour stops by
David Bowie,
Bon Jovi,
The Rolling Stones,
Guns N' Roses,
Ayumi Hamasaki,
Janet Jackson,
Madonna and
Mariah Carey, which broke attendance records.
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List of musical artists in Tokyo Dome*
Tokyo Dome official website (in Japanese)
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Tokyo Dome War Monument
