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Tokyo Dome
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tokyo Dome (東京ドーム Tōkyō Dōmu, TYO: 9681 ) is a 55,000-seat [1] 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, monster truck races, 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.
Tokyo Dome's original nickname was "The Big Egg," with some calling it the "Tokyo Egg Dome". However, this has fallen from use and is rarely heard. It opened for business on March 17, 1988 and was built close to the site of its predecessor, Kōrakuen Stadium. Like Kōrakuen, the Dome hosts the Toei Superheroes of the year.
In addition to the dome, Tokyo Dome City also includes an amusement park, Tokyo Dome City Attractions (formerly Kōrakuen Grounds). This amusement park occupies the former Korakuen Stadium site and includes a roller coaster and a Ferris wheel. The grunds also have an onsen called Spa LaQua, 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 Tokyo 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 1997, mixed martial arts organization PRIDE Fighting Championships held its first event in the dome and attracted 47,000 fans.
New Japan Pro Wrestling holds an annual Tokyo Dome event on January 4, attracting record crowds. It is considered the most anticipated puroresu event of the year.
The Tokyo Dome is the largest concert facility in Japan. A number of famous concerts have been held here, including tour stops by Ayumi Hamasaki, GLAY, U2, David Bowie, Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Guns N' Roses, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, t.A.T.u., Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Aerosmith, who broke attendance records in 1998 on their Nine Lives Tour. Japanese rock band X Japan performed 5 consecutive New Year's Eve concerts at the Dome from 1993 to 1997, a record they held until 2004 when pop duo, Kinki Kids played a sixth consecutive year. The acclaimed band L'Arc~en~Ciel played their 15th Anniversary Live at the Tokyo Dome in 2006 with a setlist influenced by voters on an online poll. Judy and Mary also performed there during their Final Goodbye tour.
- In their song, "The Sounder," the virtual band Gorillaz makes a reference to the Tokyo Dome, saying: "Gorillaz rock the dome just like the one in Tokyo."
