Almost forty minutes west of Tokyo, Seibu Stadium has been the home of the Lions for almost twenty years. Befitting the Lions excellence on field, no Japanese ballpark exceeds the beauty and simple elegance of their home stadium. But all of that is soon to change.

As you enter the ballpark from behind the outfield, go through the ticket gates and walk uphill. If you have trouble reading your ticket, one of the many attendants will help you.

Unlike other Japanese ballparks, Seibu Stadium is actually an amphitheater, dug into the side of a hill. Therefore, all concession stands and rest rooms can be found along the tree-ringed rim of the stadium. Once you find your seat, you'll have a chance to take in the panorama.

Slightly smaller than standard Major League ballparks, Seibu Stadium allows more home runs than any other Pacific League ball field. Standing 3.3 meters (11 feet) tall, the symmetrical outfield fence measures 95 meters (312 ft.) from home plate along the foul lines, 114m (373 ft.) in the power alleys, and 120m (394 ft.) to straight-away center.

Beyond the outfield fences, fans can sit on grass bleachers. Ironically, the playing field is covered with artificial turf. While the seats around the stadium are a drab green, the view of rolling green hills beyond the scoreboard help to compensate.

The only bad thing I have to say about Lions Stadium is that it's about to be destroyed. Bulldozed? No. It's doomed to be domed.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, the owner of the Lions and the man who created Seibu Stadium, has decided to boost attendance by putting a roof on the ballpark. For someone who a few years back was listed as the richest man in the world, and who obviously has more than his share of brains, it's hard to imagine him making such a stupid decision.

The best feature of Lions Stadium is its panoramic view of the green rolling hills west of Tokorozawa. Take away the view, and you've got, basically, Yokohama Stadium--one of the dullest of Japan's many dull ballparks. Tsutsumi seems to be wagering an awful lot of money that people will want to see the flying saucer land on Seibu Stadium. But unless he's going to include a lot of restaurants, game centers, bars, and similar attractions (like those found in Japan's other four domes), the roof will likely be a flop in the long run.

Tsutsumi has a reputation for seeing new trends. He came up with the idea to build indoor "beaches" with machine driven waves. The idea caught on, and now there are many indoor beaches all over Japan. But he's got his head screwed on backwards when it comes to domes. He just isn't looking toward the future.

The trend toward domes in Japan follows a similar trend in North America. While domes were popular twenty years ago, Americans are now sick of them. The North American trend is now towards stadiums with retractable roofs, like the one that is now being constructed in Seattle. How long will it take for the novelty to wear off, and for Japanese fans to want more outdoor games. It could be within a decade. No one is as perfectly poised as Tsutsumi to miss the wave of the future.