Serious Gyms by City
Tokyo
- GOLD'S GYM Japan: 60+ locations nationwide. Best serious lifting infrastructure in Japan. Monthly: ¥8,000–12,000. No-frills, heavy iron culture. Roppongi, Shibuya, and Shinjuku locations most accessible for expats.
- Tipness: mid-tier, well-maintained, pool at most locations. ¥7,000–10,000/month. Good for overall fitness with better equipment than budget options.
- Anytime Fitness Japan: 24-hour access, nationwide key card. ¥7,000–9,000/month. Variable equipment quality — visit before committing.
- LEAN BODY / FIT365: budget 24-hour options. ¥3,000–5,000/month. Limited free weight areas but expanding.
- CLUB360 Roppongi: premium boutique, English-speaking staff, expat-heavy. ¥15,000–20,000/month. Strong for classes and PT.
- Strength GINZA / Beast (Harajuku): specialist strength training gyms. Small, focused, serious. ¥10,000–15,000/month.
Fukuoka
- GOLD'S GYM Fukuoka: Hakata and Tenjin locations. Same standard as Tokyo at slightly lower cost.
- Central Fitness Club: well-maintained mid-tier, pool. ¥6,000–8,000/month.
- CrossFit Fukuoka: strong CrossFit community, multilingual coaches at some locations.
Osaka
- GOLD'S GYM Osaka: Namba and Umeda flagships.
- Konami Sports Club: premium chain, pool, sauna, well-maintained. ¥8,000–12,000/month.
- ティップネス (Tipness) Namba: solid all-rounder.
Day pass culture
Many Japanese gyms do not offer day passes or trial visits easily. GOLD'S GYM offers a one-day trial (体験利用) at most locations for ¥1,000–2,000. Request it explicitly when you visit.
Golf Infrastructure
Japan has the highest density of golf courses outside the United States. Access is stratified between private member clubs (会員制), semi-private (半プライベート), and public courses.
- Private membership: ¥1,000,000–10,000,000+ buy-in at prestige clubs. Resale market is active — memberships can be purchased on secondary markets at 10–50% of face value at lesser-known courses.
- Public courses (パブリックコース): ¥5,000–15,000 for 18 holes including cart. Quality varies significantly.
- Weekday vs weekend: weekday rates often 30–50% lower. Most serious expat golfers play Tuesday–Thursday.
- Driving ranges (練習場): dense in suburban areas. ¥500–1,500 per bucket. Excellent for maintaining swing between rounds.
- Golf simulators: TrackMan-equipped bays available in central Tokyo — useful November through March.
- GDO (Golf Digest Online): the dominant tee-time booking platform. English interface available.
For serious cross-referencing with golf access: Nomae Golf maintains detailed course playbooks for the Japan market.
Martial Arts
Japan is the origin of most major martial arts practiced globally. Access to authentic training is a significant advantage of living here.
- Judo (柔道): 10,000+ registered dojos. Kodokan in Bunkyo, Tokyo is the world headquarters — open to foreigners, instruction in English for fundamentals.
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: strong community, particularly in Tokyo. Carpe Diem (multiple locations), IGLOO BJJ, and Alliance Tokyo are the top academies. ¥10,000–15,000/month.
- Muay Thai: several dedicated Muay Thai gyms in Tokyo — Sitsongpeenong Tokyo (Koenji) and Yokkao Training Center are well-regarded. ¥12,000–20,000/month.
- Kendo / Iaido: most dojos require some Japanese ability. Tokyo Kendo Club has English capacity.
- Kickboxing / MMA: Tokyo has a strong fight scene. K-1 Gym (multiple), Wranglers, Fighting Lab Roppongi.
- Sumo observation: watch practice sessions at stables in Ryogoku (January, May, September tournaments in Tokyo) — better than watching from stadium seats.
Winter Sports
Japan's powder snow is world-famous for a reason — dry, light, and in abundance from December through March. For expats based in major cities, day trips to ski resorts are viable; dedicated winter bases are an emerging category.
- Niseko (Hokkaido): the international flagship. Best infrastructure for English-speaking visitors. 4 interconnected resorts. Direct flights from Tokyo to Chitose, then 2.5 hours by bus or 90 minutes by car.
- Hakuba (Nagano): 10 resorts, 2.5 hours from Tokyo by bullet train + bus. Strong freeski scene. Less crowded than Niseko but excellent snow.
- Nozawa Onsen: traditional hot spring village with serious skiing. 3 hours from Tokyo. Retains Japanese character the others have lost.
- Shiga Kogen: largest ski area in Japan by size. 21 interconnected resorts. 90 minutes from Nagano (accessible by Shinkansen).
- Furano (Hokkaido): drier snow than Niseko, less crowded, excellent all-mountain terrain.
Recovery Infrastructure
Onsen
Japan's onsen (hot spring) culture is one of its most underrated performance assets. Mineral-rich thermal baths provide genuine recovery benefits — not spa theater.
- Public sento (銭湯): neighborhood bathhouses. ¥500–800 entry. Many have mineral baths and sauna. Tokyo has 400+ still operating.
- Day-use onsen hotels: ¥2,000–5,000 for 2–3 hours. Facilities include multiple pools, sauna, cold plunge.
- Hakone day trips: 90 minutes from Tokyo. Multiple ryokan offer day-use onsen access. Best option for serious mineral content.
- Tattoo policy: most public onsen prohibit visible tattoos. Private room baths (家族風呂) bypass this. Some facilities have designated tattoo-friendly hours — confirm before visiting.
Sports massage
- Sports massage (スポーツマッサージ): available at most gyms and standalone clinics. ¥6,000–12,000 per hour. Standard quality is high.
- 接骨院 (sekkotsu-in / judo therapy clinics): Japanese bone-setting and soft tissue work. Covered by national health insurance for injury treatment. ¥500–1,500 after insurance.
- Physio (physical therapy): fewer English-speaking physiotherapists — search specifically for 理学療法士 with English capacity. Expect ¥8,000–15,000 per session privately.
- Floatation tanks: available in Tokyo — Float Lab (Ebisu) and Floatasy (Shinjuku area). ¥5,000–7,000 per 90 minutes.