Hotel gym + Local gym in Japan

Knowing the hotel gyms in Ginza (Tokyo) are all small, I booked a hotel nearby the local gym. The hotel I stayed at was The Royal Park Canvas - Ginza 8. This 4 star hotel was in a very convenient location in Ginza. It was a 8 min walk to Ginza station as well as JR Shinbashi station, which was very convenient to move around in Tokyo. I enjoyed many small restaurants and bars in the Shinbashi area. For normal travelers, I think this hotel is very good in terms of everything (room, service, location etc.., and there is a convenience store right next to it !). But for fitness travelers, their fitness room is so small that it is a bit uncomfortable to share with another person.

So, I went to a local gym that sells a day pass to travelers in this area. It was Gold’s Gym Ginza Chuo. It was a 8 min walk from the hotel. It was a bit expensive with JPY3157 ($32), but I could enjoy my full workout.

The next day was my training rest day, so I just used the hotel fitness room for cardio and stretching. Luckily, there was no one in the room when I got there !

If the workout is important for you during your travel in Japan, I strongly recommend checking out all options in advance. Many hotels say they have “Fitness center” in the search results of travel booking websites, but they are very small and often there are only a few cardio machines (particularly in Tokyo and Osaka). If you want to use muscle machines or free-weights, it is definitely better to go to a local gym that sells a day pass to travelers. By staying at hotel with a gym room but still close to a local gym, you can have a choice !