Slim Wallet Fitness

Posted on 07/12/2022 Last updated on 07/12/2022

Exercise in Japan is expensive. There isn’t a lot of land space, so spacious gyms with many machines come at a premium. Even gyms aimed at regular people can cost upwards of 10,000 yen a month, especially if you want to go during peak hours. But don’t fret dear reader, for I have put together a list of 5 affordable ways to burn calories!

Riding a Bike

I love cycling and have loved cycling since as I was a teen. It was my first real taste of freedom, and with enough willpower I could go anywhere. The same is true in Japan. With drivers generally being more courteous, cycling is a viable option to get to work, buy groceries, do some local sightseeing, and more.

If you buy a mama-chari for 10,000 yen and ride it Monday to Friday, every month for a year, it pays off in the long run. Meaning, the total cost daily is around 41.6 yen and the total cost monthly is 830.33 yen. That is quite a cheap way to get around and get in your exercise. You may even save on train fees!

Rock Climbing

Rock climbing is awesome! ボルダリング or “bouldering”, is a work out and problem solving at the same time. I started going by myself 2 months ago. Since then, I’ve dragged my 3 friends into going with me. Now it’s a cool hobby that we do on a weekly basis. We climb the wall, get tired, and have a 15 minute chat watching other people climb. Rinse and repeat.

It’s not really an appropriate place to announce your wedding or get into hours long gossip, but its a nice background activity while you catch up. Video games or Saizeriya can be next time. It’s also decently cheap. My gym costs 1600 Yen plus 300 yen for shoe rental for a total of 1900. If I go at 9, (and I do) it’s only 1600. If I bought shoes it’d only be 1300. With almost no limits on how long you can stay, even if I go 4 times a week it comes out to 5200 yen, about half the cost of a gym membership. Trust me, get some friends and go climbing. You’ll have a blast.

Swimming

I don’t know about you, but in my hometown swimming pools were far and expensive. If you live in Kanto at least, I can testify that to be completely opposite. Many cities have government run pools. These are encouraged, especially in summer, as a way to beat the heat.

The cost for my local one for 2 hours is 520 yen. If I go swimming every weekend, that’s only 2080 yen. Your local pool could be cheaper. I’ve heard of smaller towns offering free entry and even free swimming lessons. Check around locally, a pool could literally be in your neighborhood (When I Googled a few years ago I was surprised to learn it was a 10 minute walk from my house!)

Specialized Sports

This is kind of cheating. But if you are lucky enough to live near a gym of a sport that you are interested in, It’s worth checking out. I live near a big golf gym. They got nets and you can practice your swing. They also have pull-up bars? I’m not really interested in golf, but the sign outside says 1 session is 2000 yen which is still under that 10,000 yen budget if you go 4 times a month.

Martial Arts gyms, Cross Fit, Yoga all seem to be around this general price range.. The facilities they have will definitely be more specialized towards whatever sport it is, which could be a good thing or a bad depending on what you are looking for. If you enjoy the sport you are doing, you are more likely to keep doing it right? It’s worth at least a quick internet search to see what gyms are around you and if their prices are reasonable enough to give it a shot.

Local Gym

Much like the local swimming pool, there is at least one gym in your city run by the government for a very cheap price. The upside is that they are cheap, usually only a few hundred yen to enter or sometimes free although their quality varies wildly.

My friend’s local gym in Mie was excellent. It wasn’t too busy, nice equipment, and very cheap. Mine was not as nice however. You can ask about your local gym by asking for Shi-ritsu gym (managed by city) Ku-ritsu (managed by ward) Ken-ritsu (managed by prefecture) or Koku-ritsu (managed by Country) If you are lucky you could have the gym to yourself more often than not, or share with people chatting on the weight bench for 30 minutes. It really is random.

Honorable mentions. Jogging is free! You can do workouts like push ups, plank or yoga at home. You can also join the clubs at your schools and participate at recess. I play basketball or table tennis every day and that’s a workout for sure!

I hope this list has given you a start into the beginning of your fitness journey or at least inspired you to explore your options. In today’s age, the world is as big or as small as you make it. So make the rest of your life the best of your life and get fit today!

Photo Credits:

Top Photo: スタジオMSさん on PhotoAC

Additional images used:

Bike – YATA!さん on PhotoAC

Rock Climbing- acworksさん on PhotoAC

Swimming – acworksさん on PhotoAC

Yoga – FineGraphicsさん on PhotoAC

Local Gym – acworksさん on PhotoAC