Gyms for tourists in Kyoto 2025
Kyoto is the most popular tourist destination in Japan, and there are many tourist spots in all directions. For fitness travelers, compared with Tokyo, there are not many local gyms but some mid budget hotels have decent gyms. So it is a good idea to look for hotels with gym first and if they are not suitable for you, then you can try to find a hotel close to a local gym selling a day pass. There are 4 local gyms selling a day pass to travelers. If you are an Anytime Fitness member in your home country, then you have many choices to go ! See my recommendations below the map.
Local gyms selling a day pass in Kyoto
Below gyms sell a day pass to tourists. 2 of them are in convenient locations for tourists.
Gold’s Gym Kyoto Karasuma: Open Mon-Sat 7.00-23.00, Sun 7.00-21.00. Closed on 2nd Mon. Day pass costs JPY2800 per visit. Good gym in great location. See the official gym website.
Gold’s Gym Imadegawa: Open Mon-Sat 7.00-23.00, Sun 7.00-21.00. Closed on 2nd Mon. Day pass costs JPY2800 per visit. Good gym but location is not so convenient for tourists. See the official gym website.
Gold’s Gym Kyoto Nijo: Mon-Sun 24hrs open. Closed on 3rd Mon. Day pass costs JPY2800 per visit. Good gym but not in convenient location for tourists. See the official gym website.
Stance Design 2nd gym: Mon-Sun 10.00-21.00. Day pass cost JPY3900 per visit (Weekly pass JPY8750). See the official gym website.
To avoid embarrassment and disappointment at the gym, please read Tips and etiquette before going to the gym in Japan.
Recommendation: Gold’s Gym Kyoto Karasuma is in the most convenient location for tourist activities. They even have some large free lockers to keep your suitcase. If you stay for many days and want to go to the gym more than 3 times, then the weekly pass at Stance Design 2nd gym is a great option. It costs JPY8750.
Stance Fitness 2nd gym
Anytime Fitness in Kyoto
If you are an Anytime Fitness Member in your home country, you can use 1100+ Anytime Fitness gyms in Japan 24/7 for free (your home country’s membership covers the cost). You can use the same security key tag to enter. Often Anytime Fitness gyms in Japan are hard to find as they are located in the back street or on the 2nd floor of big buildings. In this area, there are 6 gyms in convenient locations as follows (Purple icons on the map).
Recommended hotels in Kyoto
Among the many hotels in Kyoto, if you want to stay close to the gym and main entertainment area of Kyoto, Hotel Grand Bach Kyoto Select is a good option. This modern 4-star hotel is in the middle of the main entertainment area of Kyoto. It has a large public bath and 2 x shared washing machines. Most importantly you can walk to Gold’s Gym Kyoto Karasuma in 7 mins. Also, if you are an Anytime Fitness member, Anytime Fitness Shijyokawaramachi is just 1 min walk.
Richmond Hotel Premier Kyōto Shijō is also a great choice considering the location and access to the gyms. This is a quality 3-4stars hotel and it takes 5 mins walk to Gold’s Gym Kyoto Karasuma and Anytime Fitness Shijyokarasuma (if you are an Anytime Fitness member)
As the most popular place to visit in Japan, Kyoto has many tourist spots to visit. If you stay only 2-3 days and move to other cities such as Tokyo or Osaka, your itinerary might be hectic as there are tourist spots in all directions in Kyoto and moving around can be painful unless you are on a tour. In that case it might be wise to stay close to Kyoto station as it is a hub for all transportations and tours in Kyoto. From this point of view and more importantly a fitness point of view, my recommendation goes to Hotel Granvia Kyoto. This hotel is part of Kyoto station complex but still spacious and relatively quiet (surprisingly relaxing atmosphere in super busy Kyoto station). There is a gym and pool, and hotel guests can use it for free. Check out the review and price from here.
Another good hotel nearby Kyoto station is Hotel Vischio Kyoto. This is one of the most popular 4-star hotels around Kyoto station and has a decent fitness room. Hotel guests can use it for free. You can also go to Hikari Park for jogging.
Kyoto Tokyu hotel is located in quiet area but you can still walk to the main entertainment area. More importantly it has a gym room. If you want to have a full workout with heavy weights, then you walk to Stance Design 2nd gym which sells a day pass to travelers. It takes 5 mins walk.
