Koshien Renewal

I believe these pictures [Mainichi] will give you a decent look at the completed work; it appears the infield seating phase was completed recently. Not sure what the remaining timetable is for further renovations. I'll try to find info for you on that soon.

Thanks for the link, but I think these are images from last year's renewal. I know last year they did the infield (now "Ivy Seats"), but was wondering what had been done with the outfield this past off-season.

Now I see you are right. This was not the page I was originally looking for. I saw the "３月１２日" and thought these were from this month. Oops!

I went to Koshien the other day for its open day for season ticket holders. I like what they've done. As far as the actual ground and seats are concerned, the changes are small to look at but big in effect.

For instance, the space between seat rows is no bigger than before, but racks under the seats to stow your belongings means there's less stuff crowding the leg space. This makes it easier to get past people to access your seat (and to get out of the way of people coming past).

Speaking of which, there are more aisles (hence the reduced capacity), which means it's easier to get to seats and you'll have less people passing in front of you to get to their seats).

Under the outfield stands, there are actual concession stands! Not just those cruddy old carts, but actual stores and stands like under the infield stands. Big improvement here.

There are also a few minor electronics added to the behind-the-plate stands which are visible from the outfield. Still no scoreboard, alas, but at least you can read the lyrics to Rokko Oroshi and keep up with the melody by following along with the karaoke-style guide.

Anyway, here are a couple of pics, but there's not much difference from last season to look at because, like I said, the changes are minor to look at, but big in terms of convenience.

Great, thanks for the updates. I prefer sitting in the Alps, but on a full night it can be pretty cramped and uncomfortable. Sounds like they have taken this into consideration.

Surprisingly, ticket sales have been a little slow. Last year Ivy Seats sold out quickly even on weeknights because of the novelty. But this year--except weekends, of course--no problem with tickets.

Anyway, looking forward to my first game on April 14!

Great photos!

I just checked this page and it said Koshien could take 47,808 people. However, I think these figures might be pre-renweal figures. Does anyone know if these numbers are correct or how many people the renewed Koshien will take?

Thanks in advance.

Just checked the attendance figures from the last night's game at Koshien. The first game played in the "new Koshien." And it was 46,307. So the figure from the Koshien page is probably right.