After playing for decades in Fujiidera Stadium, the Buffaloes moved to the newly opened Osaka Dome in 1997. Encircled by an immense silver and purple-striped undulating ring, Kintetsu's new home park looks like a failed Disneyland attraction, Lower Intestine Mountain. It's an appropriate image since the dome offers about as much baseball atmosphere as the Magic Kingdom.

With a child-care facility, parents can enjoy the adult aspects of the park unfettered by their screaming packages of joy. Essentially a tire-shaped shopping center surrounding a baseball field, Osaka Dome features 50 restaurants, shops, bars and a theme-oriented game center. Most of the eateries offer a birds-eye view of the field and some require reservations.

Concession booths around the perimeter of the dome offer western and Japanese food and a wide selection of beer, sake, whiskey, tea and soft drinks.

Seating 48,000 fans, Osaka Dome offers reasonably roomy and comfortable seating. A multi-purpose facility, the ballpark features a roof with seven concentric rings that can be raised for baseball games or lowered to produce better acoustics for concerts.

Twice in 1997, however, Yomiuri first baseman Kazuhiro Kiyohara deposited a ball into the bottom ring. Neither time did the ball return to the ground. Such an anomaly at least adds something unpredictable to Osaka Dome's otherwise bland interior.

Below a battleship gray ceiling, most of the parks vinyl and plastic walls are a uniform shade of light royal blue, when not covered with white advertisements. An immense foul territory removes fans far from the action, while a 4.8 meter (16 foot)outfield wall reduces home runs and lifts bleacher-dwelling fans a bit too high above the playing field. A beautiful full-color scoreboard stands in atop the center field upper deck. Bullpens lie somewhere below the stands, hidden from view.

Covered with a partially retractable layer of artificial turf, the playing field boasts "Major League" dimensions: 100 meters (328 feet) down the foul lines, 117m (384 ft.) in the power alleys, and 122m (400 ft.) to straight-away center. Because of the long distances and 4.8 meter (16 ft.) outfield wall, Osaka Dome is not a particularly easy place to hit home runs.

Ticket prices vary. Infield seats rank rather high, with seats ranging from 3,000 yen (upper deck or next to the foul pole) to 5,500 (near the field, between first and third base). Outfield seats are relatively cheap, just 1,300 yen. A guided tour of the dome is available for about 1,000.