Seibu Dome, Domed baseball stadium in Kami-Yamaguchi, Tokorozawa, Japan
Seibu Dome, also called Belluna Dome, is a baseball stadium in Tokorozawa whose field and stands sit under a shallow oval roof of pale translucent panels on radiating ribs. The roof is held by columns at the top of the stands, with no wall behind them, so outside air enters the field.
Seibu Lions Stadium opened in 1979 as an open-air ballpark designed by Yoshirō Ikehara, modelled on Dodger Stadium. After plans for an Odaiba dome were dropped, a roof was added in two off-season phases, after 1997 and after 1998; the stadium was renamed Seibu Dome in 1998 and became Japan's fifth domed ballpark in 1999.
The stadium is the home ground of the Saitama Seibu Lions of the Pacific League, which moved from Fukuoka to Tokorozawa in 1978. Since 2009 the Lions have used the third-base bench, next to their club offices, practice grounds and dormitory. The team's name and the station name Seibukyūjō-mae still recall the original Seibu Lions Stadium.
The stadium is located in the Kami-Yamaguchi region and can be reached easily by public transportation. It is wise to arrive early for large events to allow time for parking and security checkpoints.
The roof is a 145 m diameter membrane weighing 2,100 t, lifted 37.3 m on 100 wires over about three days during the 1998 works. Because no wall closes the gap between roof and stands, home runs can leave the stadium, and Alex Cabrera hit several out of the park while with the Lions from 2001 to 2007.
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