The Baseball Guru - Japanese Baseball Parks, Domes and Stadiums

Seven of the eleven stadiums (the Giants and Fighters share the Tokyo Dome) were built from 1988 through 1999. Six of them were built with a turf, playing surface. Overall, three of the parks have grass outfields with dirt infields, the rest are turf. All of the parks conform to a symmetrical design. Typical dimensions are 309-320 feet down the lines, 340-350 feet to straightaway right or left, 360-365 feet to the gaps, and 400 to dead center. A typical fence is 13 feet high. They commonly have much wider foul areas than Major League parks, which decreases scoring because it creates more foul outs. Most stadiums have chain link fences separating the fans from the playing field. This obstructs the view of anyone not seated at least ten feet above the field, so box seats are not always preferred.

Notes about Table: Dimensions (in feet) and wall heights were supplied by James Marshall of Silver Spring, MD and confirmed from various other sources, although the dimensions change over time. Ballpark photos courtesy of Jim Albright. Click on the stadium name for photo.

Stadium	LF_Line	LF	LF_Gap	CF	RF_Gap	RF	RF_Line	Wall_Ht	FYear	LYear	LG	Owners	Team	City	Notes	Capacity	Surface
Hanshin Koshien Kyujo	315	370	390	394	394	370	315	7	1921		C	Hanshin	Tigers	Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture	Dirt infield	55,000	Grass
Hiroshima Shimin Kyujo	300	330	360	380	360	330	300	8	1957		C	Hiroshima	Carp	Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture	Dirt infield	32,000	Grass
Meiji Jingu Kyujo	297	335	368	393	368	335	297	6	1926		C	Yakult	Swallows	Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo		48,000	Turf
Tokyo Dome	318	338	360	400	360	338	318	13	1988		C,P	Yomiuri, Nippon Ham	Giants, Fighters	Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo		50,000	Turf
Nagoya Dome	318	344	360	400	360	344	318	13	1997		C	Chunichi	Dragons	Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture	Huge foul territory	40,500	Turf
Yokohoma Stadium	309	340	365	386	365	340	309	10	1978		C	Yokohama	BayStars	Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture			Turf
Osaka Dome	330	350	375	400	375	350	330	12	1997		P	Kintetsu	Buffaloes	Osaka City, Osaka		48,000	Turf
Chiba Marine Stadium	328	350	381	400	381	350	328	13	1991		P	Chiba Lotte	Marines	Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture	Huge foul territory		Turf
Fukuoka Dome	328	355	387	400	387	355	328	19	1993		P	Fukuoka Daiei	Hawks	Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture		48,000	Turf
Green Kobe Stadium	311	350	383	400	383	350	311	13	1988		P	Orix	Blue Wave	Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture	Dirt infield	35,000	Grass
Seibu Lions Kyujo	311	350	373	394	373	350	313	10	1999		P	Seibu	Lions	Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture	1999 Roof Added	35,000	Turf