Second Round, Pool 1

The Tokyo Dome, Japan's first domed stadium, opened on March 17, 1988. Known as the "Big Egg," the park is the home of the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Central League. The structure is 503,267 square feet (46,755 kilos) with an air-supported dome. Centrally located in downtown Tokyo, the Tokyo Dome is also home to the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which houses the inaugural World Baseball Classic championship trophy, presented to Japan on March 20, 2006.

The Tokyo Dome has hosted many major events in both sports and music. Major League Baseball opened its regular season with games at the Tokyo Dome in 2000 (Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets), '04 (New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays) and '08 (Boston Red Sox vs. Oakland Athletics). In addition, several games of the All-Star Series -- which is held every other year -- between MLB and NPB All-Stars are played in the facility. As the biggest concert venue in Japan, the Tokyo Dome has hosted numerous events.

The Tokyo Dome has hosted play in both the 2006 and '09 World Baseball Classics. In both tournaments, the Tokyo Dome hosted Pool A in Round 1 featuring the international powerhouse teams from China, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, and two-time World Baseball Classic champion Japan. Over the course of 12 games, the stadium accommodated over 270,000 excited fans from across the globe cheering on their favorite teams and players.