Inside the Dome: Guide to Watching a Yomiuri Giants Baseball Game in Tokyo
Disclosure: This blog is reader-supported, and some posts contain affiliate links. If you make a booking, I may earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you. Thank you for keeping me writing and doing what I love!
I could already feel the crowd’s roar echoing from the Tokyo Dome as we alighted from the metro at Korakuen Station.
Having played softball for a whopping thirteen years of my adolescence, I was ecstatic that I was on my way to watch a professional baseball game in Tokyo, Japan—of all places!
Japan, where baseball (Nippon Professional Baseball, called NPB or Yakyū) is the number one sport.
And Japanese baseball, where beer girls, hauling twenty-pound pony kegs on their backs, gain a loyal fanbase of their own.
The cheering fans still roared as we exchanged our tickets, grabbed our complimentary Yomiuri Giant’s towel, entered the dome, and made our way to gate 21, aisle 12, row 7, seat 267.
Spending an extended time in Tokyo as a digital nomad has perks, such as catching a mid-week baseball game.
But even if you are here on a quick vacation, seeing a Yomiuri Giants baseball game at the Tokyo Dome is a bucket list-worthy experience.
Read more below to learn about the Tokyo baseball experience, including how to purchase tickets and what to know before you go!
Guide to Watching a Baseball Game at the Tokyo Dome
Where to Buy Tokyo Dome Baseball Tickets
There are two ways to get tickets to see a baseball game in Tokyo.
Option 1: Yomiuri Giants Official Website
Even though it can be finicky, check the official Yomiuri Giants calendar for the schedule and tickets first.
Tickets will likely be sold out if you hope to snag seats for a game happening the same week or month (they sell out fast!). That happened to us, so I looked for availability on Klook (option two).
On the website, you’ll have a calendar view of upcoming games with each team’s logo.
We chose a night when the Yomiuri Giants (Tokyo) played against the Hanshin Tigers (Nishinomiya, Hyogo)—two of Japan’s top baseball teams.
As the Tokyo Dome is the Giant’s home stadium, you will always watch the Yomiuri Giants play against a competitor.
Besides the Tigers, the Giants also play against the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, the Chunichi Dragons (Nagoya), and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows (Shinjuku—the second professional NPB team in Tokyo).
If you purchase tickets through the website, you will get a QR code or confirmation to scan at any entry point once at the Tokyo Dome.
Option 2: Purchasing Your Baseball Tickets via Klook (What we did!)
The easiest way to buy Tokyo Dome baseball game tickets is through Klook, an activity and tour booking platform.
I have used Klook extensively during my travels in Japan to purchase tickets for Super Nintendo World/Universal Studios, teamLAB Borderless, and to watch sumo in Tokyo.
So, when I saw that tickets for the Giants vs Tigers baseball game were sold out, my gut told me to check on Klook, just in case.
And I lucked out!
As Klook pre-purchases resale tickets, they still had some tickets available.
However, since the Tokyo Dome baseball tickets offered on Klook guarantee a seat in the “Aurora Seat B” sections (see below), they are more expensive than regular tickets.
However, I still jumped on them since it was my partner’s last week in Tokyo, and I wanted us to have this experience!
If you purchase via Klook, you will receive a QR code/confirmation by email. Take that and exchange your voucher for physical tickets at a booth outside Gate 22.
The tickets themselves make great souvenirs!
Klook tickets also include a free Yomiuri Giant’s orange towel to show your support—go Giants!
When exchanging your tickets, you’ll see that your seats will be randomly selected anywhere in the “Aurora Seat B” chart (in pink).
Our spot (aisle 12, row 7, seats 267 and 268) was right behind first base. From that vantage point, we could watch all the throws to first and double plays! ⚾️
🎟️ Book your baseball tickets on Klook using my code ‘BUCKETLISTBRI’ to get 5% off!
How to Get to the Tokyo Dome Baseball Stadium
The Tokyo Dome is a massive baseball stadium in Bunkyo, in the heart of greater Tokyo (address: 1-3-61 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0004).
To get there from where you are, pop ‘Tokyo Dome’ into Google Maps and select the fastest subway/metro route. The nearest stations are:
- Tokyo Metro / red Marunouchi line to “Korakuen Station” — take exit 2 (this is how we got there from Asakusa!)
- JR Suidobashi Station — take the East/West exit
- Toei Subway / blue Mita Line to “Suidobashi Station” — exit A2
- Toei Subway / magenta-colored Oedo Line to “Kasuga Station” — take exit 6
- For car routes or other directions, see access here
💡 Transport Tip: Tapping in/out of the subway/metro in Tokyo is easiest with an IC card (e.g., Pasamo, Icoca, Suica). You can add an electronic version to your Wallet if you have an iPhone or Apple Watch.
Tokyo Dome Food, Merch, & More
The Tokyo Dome is gigantic but well-laid out, so no matter your seat, you will be near food, bathrooms, and merch shops.
Here’s a peek at the eats!
- #1 Bomb Dogs — American/Japanese-style hot dogs and LONG fries
- #21 Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu — beef cutlet dishes
- #18 BontaBonta — rice balls and fried chicken
- #29 Baskin Robbins and nana’s green tea (#14)— ice cream!
- #19 Potamelt — burgers and grilled sandwiches
- #9 Hanbije Express — sushi rolls
- #11 Pachipachi — okonomiyaki and teppanyaki
The Tokyo Dome combines American-Japanese classic baseball food, from hot dogs to wagyu and bento boxes!
As for drinks…
What’s Different About Japan Baseball? ‘Uriko’ Beer Girls!
One of the reasons to go to a baseball game in Japan is its unique baseball culture, which features (cute) Japanese girls serving customers draft beer from kegs strapped to their backs.
Watching these “beer girls,” known in Japanese as biiru no uriko, work their sales magic as they run up and down the stairs throughout all nine innings is just as intriguing as the gameplay.
The goal? Sell a lot of beer and keep customers happy.
And beer brands do so by dressing their employees in their brand colors—so you know which drink or beer you are ordering just by looking at the girls’ uniforms.
While it’s fun and cute, it feels a bit icky, too, possibly even chauvinistic, as one writer wrote.
It is part of the baseball experience in Japan, so whether you choose to order from them or not, it is interesting to watch how the girls serve loyal customers and build up a fanbase of their own.
Tokyo Baseball Game Etiquette
If this is your first time watching a professional baseball game in Japan, know it’s not that much different—aside from the type of food served and the beer girls—than other major league baseball games in North America or outside Japan.
There are still cheerleaders, band music, team mascots, pom-poms, and chanting fans.
“Oohs” and “Aahs” still ring out when a good play is made, a runner slides to home, or a batter strikes out.
But this is still Japan, so there are a few rules you should bear in mind!
- Queuing: Respectfully line up and queue for tickets, food, merch, etc. It’s ultra-organized, even inside the dome!
- No shouting: You won’t find “crazy fans” yelling outrageously like you would at American or European sports games. Cheering, yes!
- Trash: Trash is collected routinely from the aisles/rows, and people intentionally take their trash out. Unlike most of Tokyo, there are indeed trash receptacles here!
- Cashless payments: Everywhere prefers cashless payments, even for the uriko beer girls. I paid with my Apple Wallet/Card for food and drinks, and it worked great!
Is Watching a Baseball Game in Tokyo Worth It?
Did we spend over $100 per person to watch a major league baseball game in Tokyo? Yes!
Did we regret doing so? No!
Watching a baseball game in Tokyo is an underrated cultural experience.
I would skip Shibuya Sky any day to immerse myself in local Japanese life here in Tokyo, and a baseball game cheering on the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome is the perfect way to do that.
Catch a game if you want to leave Tokyo with an unforgettable memory! ⚾️
