Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka
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Fukuoka Dome, Yafuoku Dome | |
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| Former names | Fukuoka Dome (1993-2005) Fukuoka Yahoo! JAPAN Dome (2005-2013) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2-2-2 Jigyōhama, Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Coordinates | 33°35′43.16″N 130°21′43.48″E / 33.5953222°N 130.3620778°E |
| Owner | Hawks Town Co. |
| Operator | Hawks Town Co. |
| Capacity | 38,561 |
| Field size | Left Field: 100m (328.1ft) Center Field: 122m (400.3ft) Right Field: 99.5m (326.4ft) Outfield Fence Height: 5.84m (19.2ft) |
| Surface | FieldTurf 2009 - present Astroturf 1993 to 2008 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 1, 1991 |
| Built | Early 1993 |
| Opened | April 2, 1993 |
| Construction cost | ¥76 billions |
| Architect | Takenaka Corporation and Maeda Corporation |
| General contractor | Takenaka Corporation and Maeda Corporation |
| Tenants | |
| Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (1993–Present) | |
The Fukuoka Yafuoku! Dome (福岡 ヤフオク!ドーム, Fukuoka Yafuoku Dōmu) is a baseball field, located in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Built in 1993, the stadium was originally named Fukuoka Dome (福岡ドーム, Fukuoka Dōmu) and can accommodate 38,561[1] spectators. It was Japan's first stadium with a retractable roof. In 2005, Yahoo! JAPAN, one of SoftBank's subsidiaries, acquired the stadium's naming rights, and thus renamed it Fukuoka Yahoo! JAPAN Dome (福岡Yahoo!Japanドーム, Fukuoka Yafū Japan Dōmu) or abbreviated as Yahoo Dome (ヤフードーム, Yafū Dōmu),[2] In January 2013, it was renamed to Fukuoka Yafuoku! Dome (福岡 ヤフオク!ドーム, Fukuoka Yafuoku Dōmu). Yafuoku means Yahoo! Auctions in Japan.
Fukuoka Dome is the home stadium of Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and, together with Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk Hotel and Hawks Town Mall, is part of the Hawks Town entertainment complex.[3] It is located near Momochi Beach, about 15 minutes walk from Tojinmachi subway station.
In 2006, the stadium received an upgrade to its mono-color main scoreboard "Hawks Vision." Sharing the same nickname as its predecessor and measured at 9.9840m (32.76ft) high and 52.992m (173.86ft) wide, it was one of the largest high-definition electronic scoreboards at the time, equivalent to a 2,123-inch wide-screen display. In 2010, with further addition of two 5.7m (120.65ft) x 33m (108.27ft) displays, the stadium boasted the largest total viewing area of HD display in all baseball stadia (total area 905.2sqm or 9,743.49sqft).[4][5]
The Fukuoka Dome has hosted one game in each Major League Baseball Japan All-Star Series since its creation, including the final game of the 2006 series, where Japan was swept for the first time in the history of the event.[6]
In the TV series Extreme Engineering, Danny Forster makes a reference to the Fukuoka Dome, saying it was said to have a "floating" field. (An indoor baseball stadium in Japan which actually has a floating field is Sapporo Dome, which also hosts football games for Consadole Sapporo, a J. League club. However, this stadium does not have such a field.) In 2009, the AstroTurf field was replaced with the now more common FieldTurf brand surface to reduce injuries; the Hawks players had seen far more injuries than any other team in Japan.
In the giant monster movie "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe", the stadium's retractable roof was used to trap the pterodactyl-like monsters Gyaos.
Concerts
The King of Pop Michael Jackson performed at the stadium four times at his solo career; The first two times, Jackson performed two sold-out concerts during his Dangerous World Tour, in September 10 & 11, 1993, for a total audience of 70,000 fans (35,000 per show); The second and last two times was in 1996, during his subsequent tour, HIStory World Tour, in December 26 and 28, on also two sold-out concerts for 80,000 people (40,000 fans per show);
Whitney Houston performed at the stadium on September 22, 1993 during The Bodyguard World Tour.
Queen of Pop Madonna performed 3 times at the stadium. The shows happened on December 7,8 and 9,1993 during The Girlie Show World Tour.
The stadium also hosted Frank Sinatra's final public concerts in December 19 & 20, 1994.
The Rolling Stones played 2 concerts at the dome during their Voodoo Lounge Tour on March 22 and 23, 1995.
Bon Jovi played a concert at the dome on May 13, 1995 during their These Days Tour.
On September 18 and 19, 2000 the stadium hosted L'Arc~en~Ciel as part of their "TOUR 2000 REAL"
References
- ^ http://www.softbankhawks.co.jp/stadium/institution.php
- ^ http://www.hawkstown.com/eng/dome/index.html
- ^ http://www.hawkstown.com/eng/information/townmap.html
- ^ http://www.softbankhawks.co.jp/stadium/institution.php
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_video_screens
- ^ MLB completes sweep with walk-off
