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 Ever
since the Giants and Fighters moved to the Tokyo Dome in
1988, every other team has had dome-envy. In subsequent
years, four other teams (Hawks, Buffaloes, Dragons and
Lions) have moved indoors. Only the Buffaloes, who played
in dismal Fujiidera Stadium, clearly traded up.Still, domes do serve a purpose.
It rains a bit in Japan, particularly between late May
and early July. Throughout the regular baseball season,
open days are frequently scheduled so that make-up games
can be penciled in later.
Sometimes
it seems like half of the games played in September are
make-up games.  Often, teams do not finish their
135-game schedule until the first or second weeks of
October.
While
domes may offer much-needed climate control, none of
these arenas are ideal places to see a game.
The
Tokyo Dome has terrible sound and a white canopy that
makes it difficult to see fly balls, the Nagoya Dome
leaks when it rains, the Osaka Dome has rings which open
to let sunlight in (and swallow an occasional pop fly),
and the Fukuoka dome is a cavern which apparently was
designed to keep fans as far away from the action as
possible.
Unless
you've just got to see a game, or have no choice (those
living in Nagoya and Fukuoka), you may prefer to wait for
a sunny day and go elsewhere.
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