A baseball stadium with a hotel with rooms overlooking the sphere

The 2024 World Series could also be over, but that won't stop baseball fans from searching for their next baseball fix.

But ignore touring a stadium – you’ll be able to sleep in it here.

Es Con Field Hokkaido is a stadium on the Japanese island of Hokkaido with a grass field, a retractable roof and capability for 35,000 spectators. But the actual treat for fans is the stadium's hotel, which has rooms overlooking the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters pitch. The Fighters are the previous team of Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani.

The stadium, which opened in March 2023, is home to the Tower Eleven Hotel, It features eight themed rooms overlooking the sphere, including the Clubhouse Room, which is harking back to the Fighters' locker room and features original lockers from the Sapporo Dome, the team's old stadium. Travelers staying here may keep their pajamas in the identical locker Ohtani once used.

Guests don’t need tickets for the sport as they will watch it from their room.

Unsurprisingly, the rooms are extremely popular with die-hard Japanese baseball fans. Most rooms are fully booked months upfront, but for those who book early enough you’ll be able to still secure a reservation. But they're not low cost: The Clubhouse Room starts at $719 on game days, a price that's easier to appreciate when you realize it could actually accommodate five people. Consider the most effective buddy sleepover ever, for $144 per person.

There is one other advantage for hotel guests. You can watch live games while sitting in an onsen or hot spring. Onsen culture is central to Japanese life and there are millions of onsens throughout Japan.

Es Con Field Hokkaido says it’s the primary baseball stadium on the planet with a natural onsen overlooking the sphere. According to HKS Architects, the Dallas-based firm that designed the stadium, developers dug 4,265 feet into the bottom to succeed in the water. There's also a chilly plunge pool, in addition to a bar where guests can order craft beer and edamame.

Note: Traditionally, onsens are enjoyed without clothing, however the two open-air onsens on the stadium require swimsuits. There's a very good reason for this: you may find yourself on the Jumbotron.

Baseball-themed details abound throughout the onsen area. Guests hang towels on the ends of sawn-off bats previously utilized by Hokkaido Fighters players. There can also be a sauna whose railings are also constructed from players' rackets. The check-in desk includes dozens of game balls, and the world is decorated with diamond-shaped tables.

Guests who forget their bathing suits should buy them from a vending machine (cost: $6.50), and non-hotel guests may also book an onsen for $26, subject to space.

The Hokkaido Fighters, founded 78 years ago, compete within the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, or NPB for brief.

The team signed the then 18-year-old Ohtani in 2012. He played five seasons for the Fighters before being traded to the Los Angeles Angels in 2017. In total, the Fighters have won three Japan Series titles, most recently in 2016.

The Fighters' schedule mirrors that of Major League Baseball, with regular season games running from March to September. Attending a game is an excellent insight into Japanese culture. Teams bow to one another as they enter the sphere, and batsmen often bow as they enter the batsman's box – to honor their opponents, the fans and the stadium itself.

Fans recurrently arrive at Es Con Field Hokkaido well before first pitch to participate within the pre-match celebrations. The stadium has its own craft beer brewery that experiments with wood-aged beer constructed from broken bats. (Fun fact: Broken bats are sometimes recycled into chopsticks in Japan.)

There can also be a ramen terrace that serves ramen from five famous Japanese shops. Culinary events reminiscent of roast dumpling festivals often happen on site. For soda lovers, the stadium has a novel seating area called “Coca-Cola Seats” – painted red, after all – with unlimited Coca-Cola soft drinks.

The stadium is situated on an area of ​​80 hectares Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, with an adventure park, a children's playground and simulators for golf, baseball and horse riding. There can also be an area where aspiring Ohtanis can arrange their very own grounders. In winter the world transforms right into a snow park and ice rink.

Additional accommodation is out there for fans searching for a more relaxed atmosphere. Villas near the stadium, each with ash wood interiors and personal saunas, will be booked on game days for about $863 per night. There can also be glamping within the Ballpark Tracking Terrace Allpar Hotel where guests can toast the Fighters' victories over a campfire and grill overlooking the stadium.

But if all of the seats are full – or somewhat too expensive to your travel budget – baseball fans can simply attend a game themselves. Regular tickets start at just $7.