Japanese Gyms; A Lesson in Modesty and Rules

Since moving to Japan in August I have been fairly active; long bike rides, hikes, and occasional runs through Himeji Castle Park have kept me in pretty good shape, or so I thought. After a visit from my parents I was made aware of the fact that, to put it bluntly, my once svelte figure was turning blobesque. After some consideration I decided to join a gym. Now, let me tell you something about gyms in Japan, signing up is a piece of cake, actually using the gym is a different story. Once you are a member, there are a million rules you must follow. Let me guide you through a typical visit to the gym.

Step 1- Give your member card to the staff at the front desk, in return you will receive a plastic card with a number on it.

Step 2- Go to the locker area, where you must remove your shoes before actually stepping into the locker area. Once you have removed your shoes, find a locker and deposit only your shoes it in.

Step 3- Ride the elevator to the third floor where the locker rooms are. Find a locker, slide the card you received at front desk into the slot, and change into your gym clothes. Close the locker, but don't forget to take the key which is attached to a bright orange bracelet. The bracelet can be worn on your wrist or around your ankle.

Step 4- Leave the locker room. Once you have left the room and are in the hallway you may put on your gym shoes.

Step 5- Once you actually make it to the gym, it is highly recommended that you stretch before hitting any of the machines. There is a t.v. facing the stretching mats that continuously plays a video of stretches that you can follow along to.

Step 6- After working out, you complete the whole process again, only in reverse of course.

Aside from an abundance of rules, another factor that separates Japanese gyms from American gyms is gym etiquette. While gym rules are boldly stated in the membership packet you receive when joining the gym, gym etiquette is implied through curious glances or outright horrified stares.


Apparently the gym is a place to workout, not to socialize. Many a time my friends and I would be chatting quietly on the mats or in the weight area and we would get glances, which we read as "quiet down"!! While you are not allowed to wear sneakers on the mats, they must be worn if you intend to use the ab machine in the mat area. Seeing as the ab machine was in the mat area, I figured it would be alright if I used the ab machine with only my socks on as I would soon be going back to the locker room, and as this particular machine only involved me slinging my legs over a bar, so my feet were not actually touching the machine. As soon as I got on the machine a staff member bolted over to me with the alacrity one might expect of someone running to save a child from a burning building, and promptly motioned that I needed to be wearing sneakers, I obeyed, because that is what one does in Japan.

If you would like to take an aerobics or yoga class it is considered very impolite to leave the class mid-lesson as this would be disruptive to your classmates. If you want to use the pool you must remember that goggles are highly recommended. You also must use the practice lane before buckling down to do some laps. If you happen to be talented in in a certain area, or simply want to get a great workout, it is better to humble yourself and slow down, as not to embarrass other gym-goes. Two of my friends have been reprimanded for swimming/running to fast, therefore making others feels bad because they couldn't keep up.
So in conclusions I'm going to stick with my gym membership because aside from the overly structured atmosphere of the gym, it serves it's purpose; to get a good workout.