Es Con Field Hokkaido, located in Kitahiroshima City, about 20 kilometers from Sapporo, is the new home stadium of the professional baseball team Hokkaido Nippon Ham. On May 30th, 2023, during the opening Interleague play between the Japanese professional baseball Central League (CL) and Pacific League (PL), I had the opportunity to visit the exclusive ‘Balcony Suite’ super VIP seats. This area, located inside the stadium, is accessible only to those with an annual contract. While this area is not open to regular fans, I’d like to introduce these premium VIP seats.
The Balcony Suite is a private room located behind the back net on the first floor of the stadium, within the Diamond Club Lounge, which is exclusively for Diamond Club Seat contract holders. The Balcony Suite allows owners who sign a contract for 40 million yen per year to freely use one room during official Nippon Ham games. These contracts are primarily held by companies and are often used by business partners and employees. Diamond Club Seats are available on an annual contract basis, with fees starting at 922,900 yen per seat.
A glass door opens onto a balcony that overhangs the stadium, where chairs and tables are set up for watching the game. Inside the private room, there’s a dining table that seats over a dozen people, and the game is shown on a large screen.
While Diamond Club Seat guests pick up their drinks and snacks at the lounge counter, guests in the Balcony Suites enjoy full service from a dedicated concierge, who brings everything directly to the room. Sponsored by ANA (All Nippon Airways), the attentive hospitality rivals that of a premium airport lounge. On this day, guests were treated to elegant bites like pintxos and canapés, along with dishes such as Rusutsu pork steak, shrimp fritters with sweet chili mayo, and cod with basil sauce. A wide selection of beverages, including juices, teas, beer, wine, and whiskey, is available—free of charge.
On this day, the game was between the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. From the balcony, the field felt incredibly close—you could clearly see the players’ faces. The balcony extends out over the stands, offering not only an up-close view of the action but also a full panorama of the entire stadium. I even managed to capture the moment when Chusei Mannami, who hit two consecutive home runs that day, stepped on home plate for the winning run. The team’s mascots—Frep the Fox, Polly Polaris, and Tsubakuro—were also in full view as they danced together to “YMCA.”
