Getting denied access to golds cause of my sleeve while a fully tatted up dude was racking weights in plain sight of the front desk was a wildly enlightening experience for me in Tokyo.
People have been strong since before modern gyms were even a thing. If you're serious about lifting, a modern gym or an old gym won't matter even 1%. The only thing that sucks about some gyms is no aircon haha, although I guess that is another form of torture training.
2000% percent accurate! The gyms in Japan are a crime. I bought my own heavy weights and battle rope. It's a different physical training mindset out there. You have to fine tune your approach. American gyms spoil you. But the good thing about Japanese gyms is that you don't have narcisistic tik tokers filming themselves like in America.
You get just as many people recording themself or taking pictures from the young Japanese kids as you do tiktokers in the US. It's the same experience.
@@pedalist49 Well tiktok only started after, 2017. And yes in both South korea and Japan, in my experience. I was out there in 2018. I live in CA and frequent multiple gyms, dont really see a hige issue with tiktokers filming themself. To say America is quite the stretch though. Tiktok isnt exclusively an American thing and i feel like it's less common to see than just regular filming
@@zenralocI agree a little, people recording themselves isn’t as big of an issue as people make it out to be. And assuming it only happens in America is weird and wrong.
It is, but remember that setting up a tripod and taking up floor space, blocking weights or possibly violating the privacy of other members is not gym etiquette. There are mirrors in gyms for that reason. The old body building greats didn't need cameras. They either asked a partner or gym staff to keep an eye on their form. Today most people just wanna post their routines just for a measly like. People should just focus, workout and get home with a good pump. It's worked this way with positive results for thousands of body builders before the invention of smart phones and social media.@@FloatingLeaf1111
I got denied at one golds when I lived in Tokyo because I made the mistake of admitting my tattoos. Then I proceeded to buy a long sleeve compression shirt, walked down the street and signed up with a different golds and told them I don’t have any tattoos. And I can use golds at any of their facilities. Gyms are over priced and suck big time over there. I’m in Taiwan now and gyms are 10x better and 10 times cheaper.
@@robbbbbbb1 yeah i agree, espacially when even the locals are scraping by with their 60hour shifts, living in a cubicle, no wonder them s rates are so high over there sad
It is actually expensive to acquire a room full of gym equipment. It is amazing to me that gyms in America have dropped price to $10 a month. Something we take for granted.
Popularity of gyms makes it very affordable because the vast majority of the gym enrolments don’t actually go to the gym but a few times a month or year. If only serious people paid for gym memberships, they price would be extremely prohibitive.
He is talking about planet fitness. But sometimes if you have insurance through your company they will pay for your gym membership. I think most gyms are overrated. If you buy your own equipment you are paying for the convenience of getting a good workout alone which may cost you starting out at a grand unless you buy used.
This is spot on man. I had an 8000 yen/month membership at Megalos in Tokyo, which was mostly cardio machines and really more of a social club for 70+ y/o ojeesan who, when lifting, had god awful form. Like you said, talking on phones and having tattoos were strictly prohibited. One of the grandpas ratted me out for my tattoo and the staff confronted me about it lol. The only redeeming quality was the included sauna, which I used every week. I cancelled the membership and have been doing calisthenics at the local park, which has a dip bar and multilevel pull up bars. It has nearly everything needed to get solid workouts in, especially with a weighted backpack and bands. Sauna only costs 3000-4000 yen a month and it's nice to have options with dedicated sauna spas having colder baths and hotter saunas. Couldn't be happier with the switch from gym to park.
“And they confronted me on it” ok if was a tourist that’d be something, but if i’m actively living in Japan, and i’m in the gym, with membership i pay for, and you come up to me and bitch about my tattoo, I will literally laugh at you so fucking hard, that you’d wish i’d have beaten your ass instead, which i might if you pushed the issue.
Good content and suggestions. Just to clarify a few points. The city/ community run gyms do not officially allow soap or shampoo in the showers. You can usually get a monthly pass for Y5,000. The bummer about every gym in Japan is you have to bring your “indoor shoes “ to change into. Your idea to join a martial arts gym is spot on. Stay in shape everyone!!
I've been living in Tokyo for five years now. Joining a gym here can be quite expensive, with a monthly fee of around 8000 to 10,000 yen for basic facilities and equipment. Even signing up for a gym membership can be a hassle, often taking up to an hour, even when I have a Japanese speaker with me. I used to go to Gold's Gym because they had the best equipment, but their monthly fee was quite high, around 12,000 yen +. Plus there are not everywhere so there is the distance from home too. I got frustrated with all of this and decided to take matters into my own hands. Since I live on the first floor with a terrace, I decided to buy all the necessary workout equipment on Amazon. This included a barbell, dumbbells, a bench, a rack, and a pull-up/dip station. It cost me around $500 in total. After just five months of using my own equipment, I had already saved enough to cover what I would have spent on a gym membership for the same period. It turned out to be the best decision I made.
@@chrisbutorange I wanted to find the best quality-to-price ratio for exercise equipment on Amazon, which I started looking for in April this year. It took me a bit of time, but here's part of my list to give you an idea: I got a pull-up station for ¥8,480, a bench for ¥7,000, a rack for ¥7,980, a cable set for ¥4,000 (which I attached to the pull-up station), a barbell for ¥4,300, a dumbbell set for ¥5,890, and two 20kg weight discs for ¥8,800. So, for a good basic setup, it cost me a total of ¥46,450, which is equivalent to around $312. With the extra $200, I mainly bought more weight because I wanted to have around 100kg for the barbell without changing the weight of my dumbbells (which are 25kg each). Now, with this setup, I can do most of the same exercises as in a gym. The only thing I miss a bit is a good dual cable machine. Also, my dumbbells can only go up to 25kg each, which is a bit low for some exercises, so I do more reps. If you have a larger budget, you could consider getting programmable 40kg dumbbells. In my opinion, I've set up a good home gym with $500, and with $1,000, you could create something really, really nice.
Hey man, I’m moving to west Tokyo in a few weeks for grad school. I went to Japan earlier this year and noticed exactly what ur saying for sure. I was there for 3 months and I didn’t get a membership, I just did body weight stuff and running. I’m grateful because my school is a sports science grad school, I’ll have access to a really good quality gym. But it’s good to hear about your experience. I’ll post some thing about my experience when I’m there too :)
how long will you be here in Japan? You can access Anytime Fitness Gyms in Japan with a membership at an American ANF. It takes a couple of months before the membership gets transferred. It's been a while and I'm not 100% sure but it's worth checking it out.
Actually went to the golds gym in Harajuku using a day pass. I felt kind of out of place and it was kind of pricey, but it wasn’t too bad compared to a lot of the hotel gyms I had to stay in that maxed out at like 40lb dumbbells.
damn good vid man im fully Japanese but I started lifting and as I got more knowledge about American fitness gyms, I became fullly aware of how stupidly expensive Japanese gyms are appreciate your effort in spreading this info, hope someone will start a cheap ass gym in the future
Japanese discovered that restricted blood flow called kaatsu training with 25% Rep Max can increase muscle mass more than traditional heavy weight training
I'm not a body builder but I like staying in shape and joined a gym in the Tokyo area. It was really expensive and tiny. I barely had room to do dumbbell flies. But my big thing was how much I sweat compared to Japanese people. I do a lot of cardio too and man I sweat everywhere. Guys weren't too bothered by it but women would look at me like I just pissed on the floor. I had a love hate relationship with Japanese culture and my bad experience with gyms was a bit of a low point. I ended up buying some dumbbells on Amazon and just doing cardio outside etc and I was much happier for it.
Holy shit man the sweat comment is so on point. I’m so not used to the humidity here and my Japanese friends always comment on how sweaty I am! People at the gym always comment too lol
same here during my 2 years in Japan I was sweating so much that initially i was super Self-conscious about it and didnt feel like working out but I kept going I mean afterall nothing wrong with it and especially nothing I can do. Like kingofgames said japanese deodorant is quite useless and it didnt help me at all.
Great video, lived in Jpana for 3-4 years. Found this video hilarious, really personified my experience there. Been to all of the gym you mentioned and ended up joining Golds Gym. Golds gym had heavy weights and nice atmosphere. However, it is super crowded i would even say shoulder to shoulder sometimes. In the end i just got some free weigths from facebook and do bunch of calesthenics in the park (since japan has some amazing parks).
Great advice. Gym culture has improved a thousand percent since the 90s. Even in the early 2000s, I had a hard time finding squat racks in smaller cities.
Great video man, just sent it to my powerlifter mate whos going to Japan. I love the idea of going to an MMA gym in Japan, definitely more bang for your buck and I've experienced what you are talking about in the UK about it being easier to make friends and how nobody even uses the squat rack despite there being only one.
So true! Most weights at mma gyms are old and unused, but as long as they actually have some heavy things to move around, you can do a lot more than you can with 5kg dumbbells 😂
I didn’t know Tokyo’s commercial gyms were so bad. I understand local public gyms only having 20-30kg dumbbells, but all of the Gold’s Gyms and Anytime Fitnesses I’ve been to up here in Tohoku, and a few independent places during trips, have deumbells ranging anywhere between 50kgs and 80kgs, not to mention multiple benches and power racks. I think because of how cramped Tokyo is, all of the commercial gyms are forced to be minimalist while the branches in smaller places actually have their own buildings.
The reason I think there arent cheap, well stocked gyms in Japan is that it's a different culture. As you said, most people aren't in to weightlifting, even fewer are into bodybuilding or powerlifting. In the US, its a huge culture, how many people have 'Go to the gym' as their new year's resolution? With the amount of customers that an average gym in the US gets, they can afford to lower their prices, which even further drives up demand. "Oh a gym membership is only $20 a month" *signs up then never cancels even if they dont go*
I've been in Tokyo for about a year, and I've been lifting at the gym called Arizona. It's not exactly a body building gym, but they have 2 squat racks, a great cable machine, lots of free weights, a leg press machine and basically everything I need. It's 24hours too. Not too shabby honestly.
Seemed fairly similar in Shanghai and Thailand, somewhat in South Korea to an extent. Gyms seemed like more of a luxury rather than a simple place to exercise.
I moved to Japan in 2007. I lived in Tokyo so I sought out a nearby Gold's Gym. I was satisfied, but the annual fees were around $1000 dollars a year at the time. What pissed me off though was that you couldn't go to other Gold's with the pass. Honestly, I think its smart to invest in your own gym equipment in Japan if you are planning to stay long. You'll save hella money in the long term. There is always some bloke doing a sayonara sale selling his home gym on Tokyo Craigslist. Or, I recommend going to a Crossfit Gym like the one in Nishiazabu and working out with Tsukasa.
Great video! I’m an Aussie living in Japan. I agree that the gyms SUCK here!! Believe it or not, gyms have actually gotten better here in the last 10 years or so! Anytime fitness rolled in here about 10 years ago, and everyone picked up their game a little. 20 years ago (showing my old ass age here) the average gym in Japan (at least her in Nagoya) was open from 10am-7pm, 8am-9pm if you got lucky, and sometimes had free weights up to 15kgs or 34 freedom units. Right now I’m using anytime fitness and I’m very happy, but I’m not a serious power lifter or body bodybuilder. I’m also very lucky because my local anytime fitness is huge compared to gyms in Japan, even compared to other anytime fitness locations. Basically my local AF was able to get into a building when the building was still in the planning stage, so AF had the entire ground floor. That means free weights up to 50kgs, 4 squat racks, good amount of free weight space, of and 25kg plates for the leg press is a nice touch too! I feel the reason Japanese gyms suck is because they cater to Japanese people. What does the average Japanese person want from a gym? A treadmill and 2kg dumbbells will be fine, and that’s the problem us foreigners have here. Our values don’t align with the Japanese values.
One reason why japanese might not workout is lack of time and being muscular stands out which might make you different at work where everybody needs to look the same.
The Gold's Gym that's about 200 meters away from where you're standing in this video is 11000yen per month with tax and has decent amount of bodybuilders in it as well. It's not huge but has everything for weight lifting. I've started going there after two of the previous gyms in the area closed due to their buildings being taken down. One of which was the local taiikukan which had everything you'd need for weight lifting and cost 240 yen (that's right) per session (usually two hours). Unfortunately these kind of places are becoming more and more scarce in Tokyo.
Glad you made this video. I'm an American living in Tokyo too. I've said the same things to others about the gyms here. My fitness level has taken a hit too. Where i live, there's actually alot of strong powerlifters and they tend to show up at the gym around the same time I do...which also doesn't help. Im considering quitting my gym and going back to gymnastics rings and callisthenics.
calisthenics can be equal to power lifting in stimulating muscle as recent study showed lighter weight and higher volume does about the same. as a plus when your body weight grows, reps get harder, and there are variations that help maximize the percentage of body weight loaded onto the target muscles. you could get seriously jacked with calisthenics so its definitely a great option if gyms are not good enough.
@@sick983 The problem is that calisthenics may be perfectly sufficient for upper body, but your legs and floor lifts will suffer. If someone wanted to squat, DL, and do calisthenics, I think that would be a perfectly sufficient routine. But if you can't squat with heavy weights you'll lose out on a lot. That said, a way to circumvent that is to get a heavy duty sack of some sort, like a milsurp nylon sea bag, and fill it with some bags of sand from a local hardware store. If you want a better solution, it's a good idea to get a proper sandbag from Rogue or StrongFit, but with a sandbag you can fill it with 200 lbs of sand and work both your floor lifts and your squats just fine. Combine that with ring work, and you'll be able to get a very solid workout with just those two things.
@@sick983 I like lifting weights, but gyms have become too "girlish" and busy and annoying now where I live. So I bought some weights, and returned to calisthenics, which honestly is mostly what generally people need. Unless you are going for super bodybuilding, powerlifting or weightlifting, calisthenics can kick most peoples butt.
If you live near a bunch of Brazilians, ask or search their gym, in Mie, Shiga etc there are a bunch of decent gyms for decent prices managed by brazilians
Honestly if I lived there, I would just buy an adjustable bench, a pull up bar, a set of resistance bands and dumbbells for all the weight levels I need. Wouldn`t cost me much more than 3 months of a gym membership in Japan and I would have everything I need.
The thing about that is, if you live in Tokyo and can afford to fit that equipment in your apartment, then you can probably afford paying >$100 a month for a fancy gym membership. Aside from that, unless you live on the first floor, you'd be getting the police called on you every time you drop a weight on the floor.
Seems like MMA, grappling and Kickboxing gyms would have the highest chance of having weights. A lot of boxing gyms still seem stuck on the 'weights make you slow' mentality (at least here in the US, unsure if it's the same culture in JP)
Another thing to include is the fact that the work ethic cannot even be compared to america. Their life revolves around more intellectual pursuits as compared to physical. I think the excuse too tired to workout might actually be valid for them. Bodyweight workouts at home would most likely suit them better
Work ethic? That's not the word you are looking for... Japanese culture is not centered around intellectual pursuits relative to other countries. The top end of universities and research facilities in the world are NOT located in Japan just by the way. Japan is focused on wage slave culture, and misogyny if you want to just focus on the dirty laundry of a country. Students in Japan have been conditioned from birth to spend most of their formative years on education, it has nothing to do with work ethic and everything to do with the environment they were raised in.
@@jacobe3579 doesn't change in their adulthood. They're also raised to take pride in the work they do. Bosses stay back at work till their employees finish instead of leaving early
Experienced the same thing when I went. Was only there for 3 weeks but didn't train at all for the reasons you mentioned (RIP GAINS). Funny thing is one of the hotels we stayed at labeled that it had a gym, but when I went to it it was just a small room with 2 treadmills and a yoga ball.
Thats was such a random recomendation on youtube but it was great lol. Im planning my trip to japan next year and I was wondering what to do on the gym
Hey bro I’d suggest Gymnastic Rings. It won’t help with your lower body but you can get a huge upper body. Rings are usually pretty cheap and you can build every upper body muscle with them. Especially if you add a weighted vest, which takes awhile to build up to anyway.
@@yungjamez312looking at japanese media,that seems to be true. Look up "gachimuchi" or the Cho Aniki series. The ideal seems the be the wiry and elegant physique,the EVA 01 bodytype,kinda like a supercharged otter mode.
@@deekay13 The stereotype is more that muscle = dumb. It's reflected a lot in their media like anime/manga where most of the main characters are slim whereas muscle-bound characters are reserved for useful idiot sidekicks.
2:48 because Japan is a fraction of the size of the USA and the cities are some of the most densely populated places on Earth. Therefore, real estate is EXPENSIVE. This should be obvious. The gym I was in, while I was living in South Korea was 1/10th the size and double the price of the gym I'm at now, in South Africa (which has loads of equipment, an indoor track and a heated olympic-sized pool). The golden rule of travelling, STOP comparing the place you're visiting to your own country.
gym is a luxury in japan. people are supposed to slave everyday without asking questions and just be a yes man and follow orders from the top. the fat and thin and weak rich people hate gym but like their people to slave and so they make a rule that gym must be expensive. they want their people to be as weak, fat and thin as them. sick world we are living in tbh.
Ooooh that's a great idea to visit a kickboxing/Muay Thai gym in Japan. I never thought Japanese are into that stuff but I've done Muay Thai for couple years before but had to quit due to work business, and missed it. It's the best fun combat sport I've done. Thank you Jamez. I will visit a kickboxing gym when I visit Japan maybe next year
I always thought what do Japanese body builders do when so many people are so skinny. But that answers itself theyre usually pros and dont have to worry about the high fees (whether cause theyre wealthy or sponsorship)
I am training for muscles and always went to a anytime fitness in tokyo and I felt like it was completly fine. Obviously there were not that many machines as you see in american gym videos but it was enough and since most japanese people in gyms are working out for baseball you dont even have to wait for anything that long or at all. A bodybuilder who I often watch(芳賀セブン) mostly goes to gold's gym and it looks very very good. Maybe you should check it out when you have more financial resouces. but yea ur right the fighting gyms seem like the best option especially for foreigners
Solution: Pullup bar locations around Japan - itll keep ur gainz in check big time - so much variety - if ur worried about shoulder muscle loss - do assisted handstand for that compound movement - calisthetics will keep ur gainz while ur in Japan. However ur leg gainz are fcked if ur big into training that part of the body.
This video randomly popped up in my recommended. If you don’t mind me asking, what brought you to Japan and why are you studying there? Im in California and have been dreaming of studying in Japan but it seems like a huge leap im too scared to take
Thanks for the comment! Literally was planning on making a video about this topic but wasn’t sure if anyone cared! I’ll upload it soon and get back to you bro
@@Pler1978 Barely anyone outside of bodybuilder subculture finds "super fit" people aesthetic. They also aren't healthier and in many cases unhealthier than if you do regular cardio/keep low bodyweight so, why would Asians pursue it?
The Fudomae Anytime Fitness in Tokyo is pretty decently sized. I quit my membership at the beginning of the pandemic three years ago and started up my own home gym. Happy that I have a nice concrete floor for deadlifts and barbell rows.
I went to Dunlop Sports Club and it cost $100 a month! And, that was the discounted price. But I will admit that the cost came with unlimited group classes, a nice sento/sauna area, a pool with unlimited classes, and a massage chair room.
Great tip, works in the US too. Have you thought at all about exploring street racing/car culture? I know it is not a focus of your channel but it is an element of nightlife and certainly a famous scene on a global perspective
I think that's right way to look at it, you're not gonna get bulky in Japan so you might as well train to learn a martial art or train endurance with running/swimming/cycling etc
Yeah that's what I was thinking on doing. I'm planning on taking a 2-3 month trip next summer to Japan, and while I'm there I want to find a boxing/kickboxing gym to train at. Definitely a good idea to practice Japanese, make friends, learn dope fighting skills and lift weights for a good price!!!
FYI the reason the gyms that are well equipped are really expensive is because of the traditional business model of gyms. Gyms usually only make a profit because they have subscribers that don't use the facility. When the culture doesn't make those people get a membership they have to keep the lights on by raising prices.
Yup, agree on every point. That's if you're lucky enough to be in an area that even has gyms. I spent 3 years in the boonies. I got reaquainted with calisthenics real quick. I'm starting grad school in Tokyo in a month. I'm optimistic about the school's athletic center. A fraction of the price of a commercial gym here...but it's only open 10-9. Such garbage hours. Anyway, good luck to everyone. Doesn't take much size to look like a Greek god in Japan.
Ooff hours can totally kill the vibe of a decent gym. Great point though too, you automatically look bigger here because people are naturally smaller. Fuggit
Yeah I need to agree with you, while most japanese people are fit and stay in better cardiovascular shape than people back in Australia (where im from) theres pretty much no gym culture here which kinda sucks, theres no high protein foods or protein powder and stuff, and I was looking at photos of gyms around where im staying and even at golds gyms and even the weights themselves like the dumbells themselves dont go very high (max at some gyms are like 30-40kg or like 60-90lbs) so its like how can you progress when even the weights dont go high?
youve got it on the dot bro. I didnt even mention the low protein quality and rarity of health foods, but youre exactly right! I'm hoping I can ease some people's trouble with this. We've gotta do our best to keep up out here lol
@@yungjamez312 and it's possibly a reason why you're losing a lot of muscle in Japan, there's no low calorie high protein bars or drinks, makes keeping up with a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight very hard on a cut
You're absolutely correct, of course. Space is a major factor as well. There are good places about (like Oni Gym in Machiya) but they're few and far between.
Mannn I've noticed this out here! So true. I was so curious as to why there were no weights, just machines! But I see people jog a lot out here or cycle
I think you’re comparing apples to oranges. When people talk about the work culture in Japan (which I think is overly mystified) generally, you are talking about office workers and those people also don’t build mass in the US.
@@jenlet3956 I'm talking based on videos i've seen of people in suits literally sleeping on the street floor because they are too tired, if you look it up you will see what i mean This video explains my point more clearly! Death By Overwork in Japan: Karoshi & Japanese Salarymen | NowThis
This is so true, I’m a power lifter and every time I visit for my job I have to pay crazy to go to an actual powerlifting gym when there. As I’ve traveled all over the world for work I’ve come to realize the rest of the world sucks compared to the US.
I don’t know about anywhere but the US and japan lol but like I said - when people say “the us is so fat and unhealthy!” I think they’d be equally surprised at the amount of people dedicated to health/fitness/lifting
@@yungjamez312yeah I live in the Dominican republic and my gym is just like you mentioned: only one machine of each and one set of free weights and a bar with 3 plates. The worst part is that it's extremely expensive too lmao
Hopefully this helps, but according to reddit, ONI gym is pretty much the best option in Arakawa. 8800/month and is top of the line equipment for powerlifting/bodybuilding/crossfit etc
20 years ago, gyms in the us were like $60 a month or $450 for annual membership. Also, people didn’t work out that much back then in Murica. Communal gyms only gained a little popularity here maybe 8 years ago and there’s no demand for them to expand and add more equipment (and import it because most of it isn’t made here). A low cost gym isn’t a possibility here (not to the extent you want). Choco-zap is a low-cost local Japanese gym that opened recently (part of the Rizap org), but it’s mostly for ladies looking to slim down/tone-up. Buy a MMA mag and they have weight sets you can order and use at home. You can be doing all the 50kg dumbbell curls and shoulder presses you want.
decent gyms in the US still cost $50-$100 monthly. chains like Crunch and Blink (not even worth comparing PF) aren't good. i just did a quick google search and found some within the same range i mentioned. it also seems like there's a fairly decent crossfit culture in Tokyo. i don't really know much about crossfit, but just reading the websites, some of them say their gyms are suited for learning how to lift weights.
can confirm some of the gold’s gym locations are pretty decent, multiple squat racks, hella machines, big range of dumbbells. but also expensive as hell
Fit24 has 24-hour access, multiple power racks, and dumbbells up to 50kg and after 8pm you are even allowed to drop the weights. Sure the gyms are generally pretty small but that is just the nature of real estate in Tokyo in general. The people there are also actually jacked. At least as jacked as someone with Japanese genetics can get.
The have very long life expectancy in Japan. They are plenty fit. It’s the muscle bound, covered in tattoos, obsessed gym rats that should focus more on health.
Find a calisthenics park and do calisthenics is my best suggestion. Do chin ups for biceps, pull ups and rows for back, do dips for triceps, do front levers, learn the planche, learn the handstand push up, progress to front lever pull ups, one arm chin ups, one arm pull ups, muscles ups and archer dips. Trust me these gains are gonna be crazy and you get to be lean and you get free abs.
I would get a barbell, bench, squat rack, pull-up bar, and a couple dumbbells. Weights have been holding their value actually going up, so you can sell them if you want when finished. This is what I have in my garage and I will probably never go to a gym again. It takes up vary little space when packed away as well. It’s also nice to work-out outside sometimes. Saves money in the long run. Highly recommended.
I was just about to write that I was in gym in Fukuoka and the dubbells went up to 70kg lol , space was decent too imo. But in my experience in most countries the best gyms are in medium sized cities where real estate isn't too overpriced.
you picked alot of good points and tackled and answered them well i was thinking of moving out there someday in the future but i love working out so im not sure anymore
The anytime fitness I worked out at when I was in Japan was literally the size of my living room, with not even half the equipment the ones in America have.
Bro you heard right about Golds, I’m a member at Golds Harajuku Annex, it is expensive, but is really good, well equipped, decent, heavy weights and a lot of serious lifters. Does have lots of rules over noise, slamming weights down, footwear, tattoos and keeping stuff clean, but I like most of those rules.
Yeah that’s decent! I feel like I would be at golds if I didn’t find my current gym. Still sucks compared to what I’m used to but I’d just bite the bullet
I go to Gold's gym in Kyoto, I pay 7700 yen per month for daytime membership which means I can go anytime from 7:00-18:00 except Sundays. The gym is generally well equipped. There are about 4 squat racks, a deadlift station, 2 cable machines, and dumbbells that go up to about 100kg. The only thing I've struggled with there is being told I'm making too much noise while deadlifting because you aren't supposed to drop your weights too loudly.
@@ckg1776 there are a few pairs of very heavy dumbbells that nobody uses. I have seen people using up to 70kg dumbbells from the rack and there are definitely heavier ones than those, so I am guessing that 100kg might be the max. Perhaps they are only 90kg since I haven't confirmed it, I definitely can't use them myself, but regardless, the point is that the gym is quite well equipped.
It's why I'd rather try to do my workouts at home, that way whatever my situation is, wherever I am at, I can always do my workouts and stay consistent. I know a lot of people go to the gym, go to college or move and stop working out, obv a gym is optimal, but consistency is more important to me.
Any suggestions for someone heavily tattooed. I have my neck, hands and head tattooed so kinda impossible to cover up. I'm more a cardio guy, so run outside, may just buy weights. I'd already given up on pools (not so sad) and onsen (quite sad).
Going to Fukuoka soon for an 18-month stay and this kinda scares me honestly. I'm a bit to self conscious to try going to martial arts classes when I don't speak the language, but I scouted a little online and saw a small, but seemingly decent looking gym near where I'll be staying. Worst case scenario, I bring my bands and I'll do callisthenics+bands+running.
$10 a month is insanely cheap for a 24 hour gym regardless. A lot of commercial gyms in North America charge 30-40 bucks monthly. I'm with Anytime, so although this is discouraging I am hoping they have a decent Anytime out there.
Anytime definitely isn’t the worst option here man it’s like 50 bucks a month and decently equipped but you may have to look around through a few locations seeing as many are very small and limited
i really liked this vlog it would be cool if you edited comments from differnet times of day and different backgrounds with comments on what funstuff youre up ton :) subbed to see more 👍
Thanks dude I appreciate that. I’m just starting out and figuring out how to edit and do UA-cam, but I’ll def be looking into improving the quality of my videos
Getting denied access to golds cause of my sleeve while a fully tatted up dude was racking weights in plain sight of the front desk was a wildly enlightening experience for me in Tokyo.
Did you point this out to the attendant?
@@06hurdwp I did but she didn’t care.
Was he Japanese?
One tattooed person per gym dawg, duh
Japanese people are racist just like any other Asian group why are you surprised? If you’re a foreigner you will be treated as such.
I lived in Japan for 3 yrs. The small community "gyms" look like high school gyms from the 70s. It was very frustrating for serious lifters.
Just like the one I was going to. It’s crazy how things can be either very advanced or very far behind here.
@@yungjamez312 I thought serious lifters liked the 70's gym vibe. Ronnie Coleman style, Yeah Buddy!
@@yungjamez312 honestly expected that, japanese people dont look like they love lifting
maybe dont live in Japan
People have been strong since before modern gyms were even a thing. If you're serious about lifting, a modern gym or an old gym won't matter even 1%. The only thing that sucks about some gyms is no aircon haha, although I guess that is another form of torture training.
2000% percent accurate! The gyms in Japan are a crime. I bought my own heavy weights and battle rope. It's a different physical training mindset out there. You have to fine tune your approach. American gyms spoil you. But the good thing about Japanese gyms is that you don't have narcisistic tik tokers filming themselves like in America.
You get just as many people recording themself or taking pictures from the young Japanese kids as you do tiktokers in the US. It's the same experience.
@@zenraloc IN JAPANESE GYMS? I moved back stateside in 2017.
@@pedalist49 Well tiktok only started after, 2017. And yes in both South korea and Japan, in my experience. I was out there in 2018. I live in CA and frequent multiple gyms, dont really see a hige issue with tiktokers filming themself. To say America is quite the stretch though. Tiktok isnt exclusively an American thing and i feel like it's less common to see than just regular filming
@@zenralocI agree a little, people recording themselves isn’t as big of an issue as people make it out to be. And assuming it only happens in America is weird and wrong.
It is, but remember that setting up a tripod and taking up floor space, blocking weights or possibly violating the privacy of other members is not gym etiquette. There are mirrors in gyms for that reason. The old body building greats didn't need cameras. They either asked a partner or gym staff to keep an eye on their form. Today most people just wanna post their routines just for a measly like. People should just focus, workout and get home with a good pump. It's worked this way with positive results for thousands of body builders before the invention of smart phones and social media.@@FloatingLeaf1111
I got denied at one golds when I lived in Tokyo because I made the mistake of admitting my tattoos. Then I proceeded to buy a long sleeve compression shirt, walked down the street and signed up with a different golds and told them I don’t have any tattoos. And I can use golds at any of their facilities. Gyms are over priced and suck big time over there. I’m in Taiwan now and gyms are 10x better and 10 times cheaper.
Olympic weightlifting is really popular in Japan so you may be able to find gyms for that and they tend to be fully equipped
and powerlifting
Or crossfit.
U listening? Hé Just said there are but they cost 130$ a month
@@m.ockthem9177maybe don't emigrate to a foreign country if you can't afford to live there?
@@robbbbbbb1 yeah i agree, espacially when even the locals are scraping by with their 60hour shifts, living in a cubicle, no wonder them s rates are so high over there sad
It is actually expensive to acquire a room full of gym equipment. It is amazing to me that gyms in America have dropped price to $10 a month. Something we take for granted.
Popularity of gyms makes it very affordable because the vast majority of the gym enrolments don’t actually go to the gym but a few times a month or year. If only serious people paid for gym memberships, they price would be extremely prohibitive.
What gym is at $10 a month? Because every gym here is minimum of $25
Yeah my gym recently went from 20 to 26
He is talking about planet fitness. But sometimes if you have insurance through your company they will pay for your gym membership. I think most gyms are overrated. If you buy your own equipment you are paying for the convenience of getting a good workout alone which may cost you starting out at a grand unless you buy used.
@@michaelsofine I pay $20 through my company discount and have a situated gym at home. So which gyms are at $10 a month?
This is spot on man.
I had an 8000 yen/month membership at Megalos in Tokyo, which was mostly cardio machines and really more of a social club for 70+ y/o ojeesan who, when lifting, had god awful form. Like you said, talking on phones and having tattoos were strictly prohibited. One of the grandpas ratted me out for my tattoo and the staff confronted me about it lol.
The only redeeming quality was the included sauna, which I used every week.
I cancelled the membership and have been doing calisthenics at the local park, which has a dip bar and multilevel pull up bars. It has nearly everything needed to get solid workouts in, especially with a weighted backpack and bands. Sauna only costs 3000-4000 yen a month and it's nice to have options with dedicated sauna spas having colder baths and hotter saunas.
Couldn't be happier with the switch from gym to park.
Man that’s awesome I’m glad you’ve found a proper solution. Sorry to hear about your previous struggles tho!
“And they confronted me on it” ok if was a tourist that’d be something, but if i’m actively living in Japan, and i’m in the gym, with membership i pay for, and you come up to me and bitch about my tattoo, I will literally laugh at you so fucking hard, that you’d wish i’d have beaten your ass instead, which i might if you pushed the issue.
Park is underrated! Save your money and go for a nice walk everyday.
I´m in Tokyo right now. I´ve been looking for a park to doing calisthenics, but didnt find any of them. Where is the park you are talking about?
@@Zicrom Shinagawa Central Park
Good content and suggestions. Just to clarify a few points. The city/ community run gyms do not officially allow soap or shampoo in the showers. You can usually get a monthly pass for Y5,000. The bummer about every gym in Japan is you have to bring your “indoor shoes “ to change into. Your idea to join a martial arts gym is spot on. Stay in shape everyone!!
So true I totally forgot about the indoor shoes thin
@@yungjamez312 That goes for most of Europe as well. You americans are weird about wearing dirty shoes in interior spaces.
@@Cloroqx i get your mama to lick mine clean
I've been living in Tokyo for five years now. Joining a gym here can be quite expensive, with a monthly fee of around 8000 to 10,000 yen for basic facilities and equipment. Even signing up for a gym membership can be a hassle, often taking up to an hour, even when I have a Japanese speaker with me. I used to go to Gold's Gym because they had the best equipment, but their monthly fee was quite high, around 12,000 yen +. Plus there are not everywhere so there is the distance from home too.
I got frustrated with all of this and decided to take matters into my own hands. Since I live on the first floor with a terrace, I decided to buy all the necessary workout equipment on Amazon. This included a barbell, dumbbells, a bench, a rack, and a pull-up/dip station. It cost me around $500 in total. After just five months of using my own equipment, I had already saved enough to cover what I would have spent on a gym membership for the same period. It turned out to be the best decision I made.
Home gym best gym. Sandbags and kettlebells are also great additions to add variety to training
what did you buy for it only to cost 500? I swear it should cost about $1000 (or at least in USD). but props on you for getting a nice home gym
@@chrisbutorangeprobably bought it pre covid since weights are hella inflated now in price.
I just use the public playgrounds
@@chrisbutorange
I wanted to find the best quality-to-price ratio for exercise equipment on Amazon, which I started looking for in April this year. It took me a bit of time, but here's part of my list to give you an idea: I got a pull-up station for ¥8,480, a bench for ¥7,000, a rack for ¥7,980, a cable set for ¥4,000 (which I attached to the pull-up station), a barbell for ¥4,300, a dumbbell set for ¥5,890, and two 20kg weight discs for ¥8,800. So, for a good basic setup, it cost me a total of ¥46,450, which is equivalent to around $312.
With the extra $200, I mainly bought more weight because I wanted to have around 100kg for the barbell without changing the weight of my dumbbells (which are 25kg each). Now, with this setup, I can do most of the same exercises as in a gym. The only thing I miss a bit is a good dual cable machine. Also, my dumbbells can only go up to 25kg each, which is a bit low for some exercises, so I do more reps. If you have a larger budget, you could consider getting programmable 40kg dumbbells.
In my opinion, I've set up a good home gym with $500, and with $1,000, you could create something really, really nice.
Hey man, I’m moving to west Tokyo in a few weeks for grad school. I went to Japan earlier this year and noticed exactly what ur saying for sure. I was there for 3 months and I didn’t get a membership, I just did body weight stuff and running. I’m grateful because my school is a sports science grad school, I’ll have access to a really good quality gym. But it’s good to hear about your experience. I’ll post some thing about my experience when I’m there too :)
That’s super cool, man. I hope you can make the most of it. Enjoy!
how long will you be here in Japan? You can access Anytime Fitness Gyms in Japan with a membership at an American ANF. It takes a couple of months before the membership gets transferred. It's been a while and I'm not 100% sure but it's worth checking it out.
@@Abraham_Kist-Okazaki at least 5 years, my school has a really good gym so I’m not concerned about a membership, thanks for the info tho!
Actually went to the golds gym in Harajuku using a day pass. I felt kind of out of place and it was kind of pricey, but it wasn’t too bad compared to a lot of the hotel gyms I had to stay in that maxed out at like 40lb dumbbells.
That’s dope if some are different. All of the ones near my place were sooooo small and had virtually nothing heavy
damn good vid man im fully Japanese but I started lifting and as I got more knowledge about American fitness gyms, I became fullly aware of how stupidly expensive Japanese gyms are
appreciate your effort in spreading this info, hope someone will start a cheap ass gym in the future
Thanks for the comment! Totally agreed! Maybe soon
That's a business idea for you. Become the Alex Hormozi of Japan.
20 kg max is bizarre, they should at least have 40
At least 100
No wonder they're all spaghetti-arm'd fem boys. Invading these tentacle fuckers would be over before brunch
Japanese discovered that restricted blood flow called kaatsu training with 25% Rep Max can increase muscle mass more than traditional heavy weight training
@@PANTHERA369got any studies on that? Sounds interesting if it's not BS.
@chriswaters2327bro 💀
I'm not a body builder but I like staying in shape and joined a gym in the Tokyo area. It was really expensive and tiny. I barely had room to do dumbbell flies. But my big thing was how much I sweat compared to Japanese people. I do a lot of cardio too and man I sweat everywhere. Guys weren't too bothered by it but women would look at me like I just pissed on the floor. I had a love hate relationship with Japanese culture and my bad experience with gyms was a bit of a low point. I ended up buying some dumbbells on Amazon and just doing cardio outside etc and I was much happier for it.
Holy shit man the sweat comment is so on point. I’m so not used to the humidity here and my Japanese friends always comment on how sweaty I am! People at the gym always comment too lol
@@yungjamez312complaining about sweat at a gym😂😂 ridiculous
@@yungjamez312yeah man the sweat thing is so true. Plus Japanese deodorant does basically nothing so you have to import all your shit.
@@tcggggg lmao yeah imagine
same here during my 2 years in Japan I was sweating so much that initially i was super Self-conscious about it and didnt feel like working out but I kept going I mean afterall nothing wrong with it and especially nothing I can do.
Like kingofgames said japanese deodorant is quite useless and it didnt help me at all.
Great video, lived in Jpana for 3-4 years. Found this video hilarious, really personified my experience there. Been to all of the gym you mentioned and ended up joining Golds Gym. Golds gym had heavy weights and nice atmosphere. However, it is super crowded i would even say shoulder to shoulder sometimes. In the end i just got some free weigths from facebook and do bunch of calesthenics in the park (since japan has some amazing parks).
Good idea man
Great advice. Gym culture has improved a thousand percent since the 90s. Even in the early 2000s, I had a hard time finding squat racks in smaller cities.
Great video man, just sent it to my powerlifter mate whos going to Japan. I love the idea of going to an MMA gym in Japan, definitely more bang for your buck and I've experienced what you are talking about in the UK about it being easier to make friends and how nobody even uses the squat rack despite there being only one.
So true! Most weights at mma gyms are old and unused, but as long as they actually have some heavy things to move around, you can do a lot more than you can with 5kg dumbbells 😂
I didn’t know Tokyo’s commercial gyms were so bad. I understand local public gyms only having 20-30kg dumbbells, but all of the Gold’s Gyms and Anytime Fitnesses I’ve been to up here in Tohoku, and a few independent places during trips, have deumbells ranging anywhere between 50kgs and 80kgs, not to mention multiple benches and power racks.
I think because of how cramped Tokyo is, all of the commercial gyms are forced to be minimalist while the branches in smaller places actually have their own buildings.
That’s a good point man we are envious of you!
The reason I think there arent cheap, well stocked gyms in Japan is that it's a different culture. As you said, most people aren't in to weightlifting, even fewer are into bodybuilding or powerlifting. In the US, its a huge culture, how many people have 'Go to the gym' as their new year's resolution? With the amount of customers that an average gym in the US gets, they can afford to lower their prices, which even further drives up demand. "Oh a gym membership is only $20 a month" *signs up then never cancels even if they dont go*
True very good points
I've been in Tokyo for about a year, and I've been lifting at the gym called Arizona. It's not exactly a body building gym, but they have 2 squat racks, a great cable machine, lots of free weights, a leg press machine and basically everything I need. It's 24hours too. Not too shabby honestly.
That’s sickkk I need to look into it.
I love your videos & voice, Jared
Seemed fairly similar in Shanghai and Thailand, somewhat in South Korea to an extent. Gyms seemed like more of a luxury rather than a simple place to exercise.
I feel for you man. This would be a nightmare for me.
Watching my gains slowly fade after my year long bulk in America took such a mental toll on me 😭 I wish I would’ve found this mma gym sooner
I definitely recommend getting a membership to a rock climbing gym. Get arm and back gains and they tend to have weights there also.
I moved to Japan in 2007. I lived in Tokyo so I sought out a nearby Gold's Gym. I was satisfied, but the annual fees were around $1000 dollars a year at the time. What pissed me off though was that you couldn't go to other Gold's with the pass. Honestly, I think its smart to invest in your own gym equipment in Japan if you are planning to stay long. You'll save hella money in the long term. There is always some bloke doing a sayonara sale selling his home gym on Tokyo Craigslist. Or, I recommend going to a Crossfit Gym like the one in Nishiazabu and working out with Tsukasa.
I was in Japan in 2007.. stayed in Tokyo for a year
Great video! I’m an Aussie living in Japan. I agree that the gyms SUCK here!! Believe it or not, gyms have actually gotten better here in the last 10 years or so! Anytime fitness rolled in here about 10 years ago, and everyone picked up their game a little.
20 years ago (showing my old ass age here) the average gym in Japan (at least her in Nagoya) was open from 10am-7pm, 8am-9pm if you got lucky, and sometimes had free weights up to 15kgs or 34 freedom units.
Right now I’m using anytime fitness and I’m very happy, but I’m not a serious power lifter or body bodybuilder. I’m also very lucky because my local anytime fitness is huge compared to gyms in Japan, even compared to other anytime fitness locations. Basically my local AF was able to get into a building when the building was still in the planning stage, so AF had the entire ground floor. That means free weights up to 50kgs, 4 squat racks, good amount of free weight space, of and 25kg plates for the leg press is a nice touch too!
I feel the reason Japanese gyms suck is because they cater to Japanese people. What does the average Japanese person want from a gym? A treadmill and 2kg dumbbells will be fine, and that’s the problem us foreigners have here. Our values don’t align with the Japanese values.
Totally true man and I’m jealous of you!
One reason why japanese might not workout is lack of time and being muscular stands out which might make you different at work where everybody needs to look the same.
The Gold's Gym that's about 200 meters away from where you're standing in this video is 11000yen per month with tax and has decent amount of bodybuilders in it as well. It's not huge but has everything for weight lifting.
I've started going there after two of the previous gyms in the area closed due to their buildings being taken down. One of which was the local taiikukan which had everything you'd need for weight lifting and cost 240 yen (that's right) per session (usually two hours). Unfortunately these kind of places are becoming more and more scarce in Tokyo.
Yeah man one of my homies was telling me that about taiikukan! Too bad
Glad you made this video. I'm an American living in Tokyo too. I've said the same things to others about the gyms here. My fitness level has taken a hit too. Where i live, there's actually alot of strong powerlifters and they tend to show up at the gym around the same time I do...which also doesn't help.
Im considering quitting my gym and going back to gymnastics rings and callisthenics.
calisthenics can be equal to power lifting in stimulating muscle as recent study showed lighter weight and higher volume does about the same. as a plus when your body weight grows, reps get harder, and there are variations that help maximize the percentage of body weight loaded onto the target muscles. you could get seriously jacked with calisthenics so its definitely a great option if gyms are not good enough.
Rings and weighted calisthenics are goated for upper body hypertrophy.
@@sick983 The problem is that calisthenics may be perfectly sufficient for upper body, but your legs and floor lifts will suffer. If someone wanted to squat, DL, and do calisthenics, I think that would be a perfectly sufficient routine. But if you can't squat with heavy weights you'll lose out on a lot. That said, a way to circumvent that is to get a heavy duty sack of some sort, like a milsurp nylon sea bag, and fill it with some bags of sand from a local hardware store. If you want a better solution, it's a good idea to get a proper sandbag from Rogue or StrongFit, but with a sandbag you can fill it with 200 lbs of sand and work both your floor lifts and your squats just fine. Combine that with ring work, and you'll be able to get a very solid workout with just those two things.
if there are strong powerlifters... how that correlates with not having good gyms?????
@@sick983 I like lifting weights, but gyms have become too "girlish" and busy and annoying now where I live. So I bought some weights, and returned to calisthenics, which honestly is mostly what generally people need. Unless you are going for super bodybuilding, powerlifting or weightlifting, calisthenics can kick most peoples butt.
If you live near a bunch of Brazilians, ask or search their gym, in Mie, Shiga etc there are a bunch of decent gyms for decent prices managed by brazilians
HEY WAIT I live in Mie do you got any ummm recommendations??
@@Orionleo i know a gym in tsu and yokkaichi
I literally live in one of those cities spill brooo@@omarkharnivall2439
Honestly if I lived there, I would just buy an adjustable bench, a pull up bar, a set of resistance bands and dumbbells for all the weight levels I need. Wouldn`t cost me much more than 3 months of a gym membership in Japan and I would have everything I need.
The thing about that is, if you live in Tokyo and can afford to fit that equipment in your apartment, then you can probably afford paying >$100 a month for a fancy gym membership. Aside from that, unless you live on the first floor, you'd be getting the police called on you every time you drop a weight on the floor.
Seems like MMA, grappling and Kickboxing gyms would have the highest chance of having weights. A lot of boxing gyms still seem stuck on the 'weights make you slow' mentality (at least here in the US, unsure if it's the same culture in JP)
That's being turned on it's head for sure
I'm sure. Even my old wreslting coach felt that way
So i literally was complaining to my dad that the gyms here in japan really sucks and the algorithm recommended me this
Tech has gone too far
Another thing to include is the fact that the work ethic cannot even be compared to america. Their life revolves around more intellectual pursuits as compared to physical. I think the excuse too tired to workout might actually be valid for them. Bodyweight workouts at home would most likely suit them better
Not something I even thought about but definitely could be the case!
Work ethic? That's not the word you are looking for... Japanese culture is not centered around intellectual pursuits relative to other countries. The top end of universities and research facilities in the world are NOT located in Japan just by the way. Japan is focused on wage slave culture, and misogyny if you want to just focus on the dirty laundry of a country. Students in Japan have been conditioned from birth to spend most of their formative years on education, it has nothing to do with work ethic and everything to do with the environment they were raised in.
@@jacobe3579 doesn't change in their adulthood. They're also raised to take pride in the work they do. Bosses stay back at work till their employees finish instead of leaving early
Experienced the same thing when I went. Was only there for 3 weeks but didn't train at all for the reasons you mentioned (RIP GAINS). Funny thing is one of the hotels we stayed at labeled that it had a gym, but when I went to it it was just a small room with 2 treadmills and a yoga ball.
That’s super standard hahahah.
Thats was such a random recomendation on youtube but it was great lol. Im planning my trip to japan next year and I was wondering what to do on the gym
Thanks for watching man! Hope you enjoy it here
didnt realise you only had like a 100 subs and 300 views after the video was over :D, this video really felt like quality.
Wow! I didn’t know I had 100 haha. I was thinking more like 10. Thanks for watching!
True
True
Hey bro I’d suggest Gymnastic Rings. It won’t help with your lower body but you can get a huge upper body.
Rings are usually pretty cheap and you can build every upper body muscle with them.
Especially if you add a weighted vest, which takes awhile to build up to anyway.
Masculinity is seen very differently in Japan...and could also be a factor of why men don't wanna put on mass.
True!
I heard that in Japan, if you're super buff and into lifting, but not a pro athlete then people may think you're either a narcissist or gay lol.
@@deekay13 lol never heard that! Could be true though
@@yungjamez312looking at japanese media,that seems to be true. Look up "gachimuchi" or the Cho Aniki series.
The ideal seems the be the wiry and elegant physique,the EVA 01 bodytype,kinda like a supercharged otter mode.
@@deekay13 The stereotype is more that muscle = dumb. It's reflected a lot in their media like anime/manga where most of the main characters are slim whereas muscle-bound characters are reserved for useful idiot sidekicks.
2:48 because Japan is a fraction of the size of the USA and the cities are some of the most densely populated places on Earth. Therefore, real estate is EXPENSIVE. This should be obvious.
The gym I was in, while I was living in South Korea was 1/10th the size and double the price of the gym I'm at now, in South Africa (which has loads of equipment, an indoor track and a heated olympic-sized pool).
The golden rule of travelling, STOP comparing the place you're visiting to your own country.
gym is a luxury in japan. people are supposed to slave everyday without asking questions and just be a yes man and follow orders from the top. the fat and thin and weak rich people hate gym but like their people to slave and so they make a rule that gym must be expensive. they want their people to be as weak, fat and thin as them. sick world we are living in tbh.
Ooooh that's a great idea to visit a kickboxing/Muay Thai gym in Japan. I never thought Japanese are into that stuff but I've done Muay Thai for couple years before but had to quit due to work business, and missed it. It's the best fun combat sport I've done. Thank you Jamez. I will visit a kickboxing gym when I visit Japan maybe next year
I always thought what do Japanese body builders do when so many people are so skinny. But that answers itself theyre usually pros and dont have to worry about the high fees (whether cause theyre wealthy or sponsorship)
I am training for muscles and always went to a anytime fitness in tokyo and I felt like it was completly fine. Obviously there were not that many machines as you see in american gym videos but it was enough and since most japanese people in gyms are working out for baseball you dont even have to wait for anything that long or at all.
A bodybuilder who I often watch(芳賀セブン) mostly goes to gold's gym and it looks very very good. Maybe you should check it out when you have more financial resouces.
but yea ur right the fighting gyms seem like the best option especially for foreigners
150 dollars a month for a gym membership I'd absolutely ridiculous. Hell nawl
Machines have their uses and benefits but you can totally get in shape
without ever touching one.
Love the problem solving and adaptability, keep thriving bro!
Thanks for the dope comment man all the best to you
Solution: Pullup bar locations around Japan - itll keep ur gainz in check big time - so much variety - if ur worried about shoulder muscle loss - do assisted handstand for that compound movement - calisthetics will keep ur gainz while ur in Japan.
However ur leg gainz are fcked if ur big into training that part of the body.
Good advice man! I did as much of this as possible which I believe saved me a bit, but still so hard!
“It’s a great idea, I’m full of em”
Thank you for this awesome quote I will use this as much as I can in the future
It’s all you bro
This video randomly popped up in my recommended. If you don’t mind me asking, what brought you to Japan and why are you studying there? Im in California and have been dreaming of studying in Japan but it seems like a huge leap im too scared to take
Thanks for the comment! Literally was planning on making a video about this topic but wasn’t sure if anyone cared! I’ll upload it soon and get back to you bro
I'm in Japan too, you can get a student visa if you apply to the language school
@@yungjamez312awesome man thank you!
oh god please no Californians in japan, they will ruin japan like they ruined their state.
@@Pler1978 Barely anyone outside of bodybuilder subculture finds "super fit" people aesthetic. They also aren't healthier and in many cases unhealthier than if you do regular cardio/keep low bodyweight so, why would Asians pursue it?
Good advice.
Personally I switched on using pure rings workout.
The adaptation is a bit tough, but it works really well.
The Fudomae Anytime Fitness in Tokyo is pretty decently sized. I quit my membership at the beginning of the pandemic three years ago and started up my own home gym. Happy that I have a nice concrete floor for deadlifts and barbell rows.
I went to Dunlop Sports Club and it cost $100 a month! And, that was the discounted price. But I will admit that the cost came with unlimited group classes, a nice sento/sauna area, a pool with unlimited classes, and a massage chair room.
Keep uploading, we give motivation.
Great tip, works in the US too. Have you thought at all about exploring street racing/car culture? I know it is not a focus of your channel but it is an element of nightlife and certainly a famous scene on a global perspective
Ain't got time to work out gotta slave away for a company 24/7
Your pfp says otherwise
@@kinnick5643 not me bro I meant in Japan. Obviously I prioritize my body and health no job is more important than that
I think that's right way to look at it, you're not gonna get bulky in Japan so you might as well train to learn a martial art or train endurance with running/swimming/cycling etc
True! I’ve come to accept that
Id definitely just be converting to calisthenics 💀
Yeah that's what I was thinking on doing. I'm planning on taking a 2-3 month trip next summer to Japan, and while I'm there I want to find a boxing/kickboxing gym to train at. Definitely a good idea to practice Japanese, make friends, learn dope fighting skills and lift weights for a good price!!!
Recently started living in Japan, and I totally agree with EVERY. SINGLE. WORD you say
We in this together
FYI the reason the gyms that are well equipped are really expensive is because of the traditional business model of gyms. Gyms usually only make a profit because they have subscribers that don't use the facility. When the culture doesn't make those people get a membership they have to keep the lights on by raising prices.
Yup, agree on every point. That's if you're lucky enough to be in an area that even has gyms. I spent 3 years in the boonies. I got reaquainted with calisthenics real quick.
I'm starting grad school in Tokyo in a month. I'm optimistic about the school's athletic center. A fraction of the price of a commercial gym here...but it's only open 10-9. Such garbage hours. Anyway, good luck to everyone. Doesn't take much size to look like a Greek god in Japan.
Ooff hours can totally kill the vibe of a decent gym. Great point though too, you automatically look bigger here because people are naturally smaller. Fuggit
@@yungjamez312 you really wanna go there?? lol
This guy is gonna blow up on UA-cam! Keep up the great content man
Thanks for watching homie
I went to Japan and they were acting like I was Cbum lol
That’s how they act about me and I have a beginner lifters physique
Came across your channel today and saw a couple of your videos, great effort mate, keep going 💪🏻
Thank you so much bro all the best to ya
Yeah I need to agree with you, while most japanese people are fit and stay in better cardiovascular shape than people back in Australia (where im from) theres pretty much no gym culture here which kinda sucks, theres no high protein foods or protein powder and stuff, and I was looking at photos of gyms around where im staying and even at golds gyms and even the weights themselves like the dumbells themselves dont go very high (max at some gyms are like 30-40kg or like 60-90lbs) so its like how can you progress when even the weights dont go high?
youve got it on the dot bro. I didnt even mention the low protein quality and rarity of health foods, but youre exactly right! I'm hoping I can ease some people's trouble with this. We've gotta do our best to keep up out here lol
@@yungjamez312 and it's possibly a reason why you're losing a lot of muscle in Japan, there's no low calorie high protein bars or drinks, makes keeping up with a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight very hard on a cut
You're absolutely correct, of course. Space is a major factor as well. There are good places about (like Oni Gym in Machiya) but they're few and far between.
Mannn I've noticed this out here! So true. I was so curious as to why there were no weights, just machines! But I see people jog a lot out here or cycle
Most of what you say is true, but college athletes in Japan are savage.
Thanks for uploading your info on gyms in Japan, was worried about how gyms are over there since I’m going next year.
damn, guess nows the time to switch to calisthenics 🤣
Interesting.
Good luck on your journey my gainz brother 💪💯
Thank you homie!!
Japanese people tend to work long shifts too soo maybe that factor also why many don't want to spend time on the gym
I think you’re comparing apples to oranges. When people talk about the work culture in Japan (which I think is overly mystified) generally, you are talking about office workers and those people also don’t build mass in the US.
@@jenlet3956 I'm talking based on videos i've seen of people in suits literally sleeping on the street floor because they are too tired, if you look it up you will see what i mean
This video explains my point more clearly!
Death By Overwork in Japan: Karoshi & Japanese Salarymen | NowThis
I like ur camera quality. it looks oldschool
This is so true, I’m a power lifter and every time I visit for my job I have to pay crazy to go to an actual powerlifting gym when there. As I’ve traveled all over the world for work I’ve come to realize the rest of the world sucks compared to the US.
I don’t know about anywhere but the US and japan lol but like I said - when people say “the us is so fat and unhealthy!” I think they’d be equally surprised at the amount of people dedicated to health/fitness/lifting
@@yungjamez312people in the USA seem to be either lazy fatasses or obsessed about fitness like there's in-between lol
Yeah I doubt you’ve been everywhere mate
america is full of fat whales@@yungjamez312
@@yungjamez312yeah I live in the Dominican republic and my gym is just like you mentioned: only one machine of each and one set of free weights and a bar with 3 plates. The worst part is that it's extremely expensive too lmao
Super chill down to earth. Love ya shit. Do more vlogs like this
For sure man thanks for watching
Good content
Thank you homie
Hopefully this helps, but according to reddit, ONI gym is pretty much the best option in Arakawa. 8800/month and is top of the line equipment for powerlifting/bodybuilding/crossfit etc
20 years ago, gyms in the us were like $60 a month or $450 for annual membership. Also, people didn’t work out that much back then in Murica.
Communal gyms only gained a little popularity here maybe 8 years ago and there’s no demand for them to expand and add more equipment (and import it because most of it isn’t made here).
A low cost gym isn’t a possibility here (not to the extent you want).
Choco-zap is a low-cost local Japanese gym that opened recently (part of the Rizap org), but it’s mostly for ladies looking to slim down/tone-up.
Buy a MMA mag and they have weight sets you can order and use at home. You can be doing all the 50kg dumbbell curls and shoulder presses you want.
decent gyms in the US still cost $50-$100 monthly. chains like Crunch and Blink (not even worth comparing PF) aren't good. i just did a quick google search and found some within the same range i mentioned. it also seems like there's a fairly decent crossfit culture in Tokyo. i don't really know much about crossfit, but just reading the websites, some of them say their gyms are suited for learning how to lift weights.
can confirm some of the gold’s gym locations are pretty decent, multiple squat racks, hella machines, big range of dumbbells. but also expensive as hell
I work in an investment funds company, I might see what I can do with this lack in gym service 🤔
Go for it bro just get me on 2% for my idea
Fit24 has 24-hour access, multiple power racks, and dumbbells up to 50kg and after 8pm you are even allowed to drop the weights. Sure the gyms are generally pretty small but that is just the nature of real estate in Tokyo in general. The people there are also actually jacked. At least as jacked as someone with Japanese genetics can get.
I think it’s to prevent the masses from getting into fitness and just focusing on work.
Interesting take
As if America doesn't have an unhealthy obsession with work/"hustling"
The have very long life expectancy in Japan. They are plenty fit. It’s the muscle bound, covered in tattoos, obsessed gym rats that should focus more on health.
@@Therion0184of course it does, but Japan is way worse on that front.
@@cougar2013it could be better if they had proper gyms
Find a calisthenics park and do calisthenics is my best suggestion. Do chin ups for biceps, pull ups and rows for back, do dips for triceps, do front levers, learn the planche, learn the handstand push up, progress to front lever pull ups, one arm chin ups, one arm pull ups, muscles ups and archer dips. Trust me these gains are gonna be crazy and you get to be lean and you get free abs.
They live the longest so got it right. Also I agree with their phone rule. If I managed a gym, phones would be banned.
That's because of their diet tho
rest of the world needs the same@@heassik3088
@@heassik3088 Also because they don't have a sedentary lifestyle. People walk or bike everywhere.
thanks dude this is helpful
Good to know brother. Imma make sure my place got a gym to my own liking. I don't want to deal with what you experienced.
make workout vlogs in japan if your gym allows recording, I think it would be very insightful
I would get a barbell, bench, squat rack, pull-up bar, and a couple dumbbells. Weights have been holding their value actually going up, so you can sell them if you want when finished. This is what I have in my garage and I will probably never go to a gym again. It takes up vary little space when packed away as well. It’s also nice to work-out outside sometimes. Saves money in the long run. Highly recommended.
In Japan people usually don’t have room for much equipment.
I was just about to write that I was in gym in Fukuoka and the dubbells went up to 70kg lol , space was decent too imo. But in my experience in most countries the best gyms are in medium sized cities where real estate isn't too overpriced.
you picked alot of good points and tackled and answered them well i was thinking of moving out there someday in the future but i love working out so im not sure anymore
I’m sure you can make it work dude!
@@yungjamez312 ok thanks man
The anytime fitness I worked out at when I was in Japan was literally the size of my living room, with not even half the equipment the ones in America have.
Bro you heard right about Golds,
I’m a member at Golds Harajuku Annex, it is expensive, but is really good, well equipped, decent, heavy weights and a lot of serious lifters.
Does have lots of rules over noise, slamming weights down, footwear, tattoos and keeping stuff clean, but I like most of those rules.
Yeah that’s decent! I feel like I would be at golds if I didn’t find my current gym. Still sucks compared to what I’m used to but I’d just bite the bullet
Get a set of adjustable dumbbels like the powerblocks to train at home.
I go to Gold's gym in Kyoto, I pay 7700 yen per month for daytime membership which means I can go anytime from 7:00-18:00 except Sundays. The gym is generally well equipped. There are about 4 squat racks, a deadlift station, 2 cable machines, and dumbbells that go up to about 100kg. The only thing I've struggled with there is being told I'm making too much noise while deadlifting because you aren't supposed to drop your weights too loudly.
Glad you found something decent man but with all due respect that kinda sucks. For japans standards I could be satisfied with that tho
100kg dumbells? I call BS to that.
@@ckg1776 there are a few pairs of very heavy dumbbells that nobody uses. I have seen people using up to 70kg dumbbells from the rack and there are definitely heavier ones than those, so I am guessing that 100kg might be the max. Perhaps they are only 90kg since I haven't confirmed it, I definitely can't use them myself, but regardless, the point is that the gym is quite well equipped.
It's why I'd rather try to do my workouts at home, that way whatever my situation is, wherever I am at, I can always do my workouts and stay consistent. I know a lot of people go to the gym, go to college or move and stop working out, obv a gym is optimal, but consistency is more important to me.
1:10 "I digress" I knew you gave me some No Joke Howard vibes. You know him?
That’s my guy.
@@yungjamez312 Nice. RIP big bro. 🙏
Any suggestions for someone heavily tattooed. I have my neck, hands and head tattooed so kinda impossible to cover up. I'm more a cardio guy, so run outside, may just buy weights. I'd already given up on pools (not so sad) and onsen (quite sad).
Try a combat sports gym
The thing I’m looking forward when leaving Japan is finally returning to my home country gym where everything is actually normal!!
Going to Fukuoka soon for an 18-month stay and this kinda scares me honestly. I'm a bit to self conscious to try going to martial arts classes when I don't speak the language, but I scouted a little online and saw a small, but seemingly decent looking gym near where I'll be staying. Worst case scenario, I bring my bands and I'll do callisthenics+bands+running.
I quit a gym cause the dumbbells only went up to 50 lbs and I curled that for 20. I couldn’t imagine getting stuck with 40. Sounds like hell
$10 a month is insanely cheap for a 24 hour gym regardless. A lot of commercial gyms in North America charge 30-40 bucks monthly. I'm with Anytime, so although this is discouraging I am hoping they have a decent Anytime out there.
Anytime definitely isn’t the worst option here man it’s like 50 bucks a month and decently equipped but you may have to look around through a few locations seeing as many are very small and limited
i really liked this vlog it would be cool if you edited comments from differnet times of day and different backgrounds with comments on what funstuff youre up ton :) subbed to see more 👍
Thanks dude I appreciate that. I’m just starting out and figuring out how to edit and do UA-cam, but I’ll def be looking into improving the quality of my videos