Tokyo Dome on a hot Sunday afternoon
For some reason, it always feels like I am scrambling to get the Tokyo Dome. On my last trip in the spring, I went to the Tokyo Dome a mere four hours after landing at the airport. Today, we had an early train to catch to make it back from Nagoya to Tokyo to see the Sunday afternoon contest between the Giants and the Hiroshima Carp.
Unlike my trip in the May, this time we had a few hours to spend wandering around the Tokyo Dome and Tokyo Dome City. Much to my delight, I discovered a great brick oven pizza place right next to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame which, after 12 days of Japanese food, was a welcome change.
The game was all Giants. Hayato Sakamoto lead off the bottom of the first with a first pitch home run. Two batters later, first baseman Michihiro Ogasawara launched another home run into the left field seats (the fourth home run I have seen him hit this season) and set the tone for the game. The Giants added three more runs while the Carp could only manage to sneek one across as the Giants rolled to a 5-1 win on our shortest game of the trip at three hours and seven minutes.
Tomorrow, we get on an airplane to head north to island prefecture of Hokkaido and the city of Sapporo. Monday is a baseball off day, but Tuesday will be a game between the Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Eagles. Talk to you then!
Question of the Day
Q: Who has won the most championships in Japan? – Sarah
A: The Yomiuri Giants, sometimes called the “New York Yankees of Japan” by Americans, have won 21 Japan Series and 33 Central League titles. That is fairly impressive considering the league was only established in 1950 – just 60 years ago – meaning the Giants have won their league, on average, every other year.
Check out the Tokyo Dome Stadium Guide at Japanese Baseball Stadiums »
