The Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium, located near Asashiobashi Station, has all the equipment a serious lifter needs. It costs just 600 yen a day or 6,000 yen a month but you will probably have to go to an “introductory session” before you’re allowed to use the facility. Here are all the details.
Where is it?
Close to Asashiobashi Station. Asashiobashi Station is on the Chuo subway line. It will take around 20 minutes from the Namba area and you will have to transfer trains.
How much does it cost?
Short-term visitors: 600 yen (approx. $5) for a one-day pass, 6,000 yen (approx. $50) for a book of 11 x one-day passes, 6,000 yen for a monthly pass.
This is the same pricing structure as the Nagai Training Center.
Opening Hours
09:00 – 21:00 (entry permitted until 20:00)
Gym closed on the 3rd Monday of every month and during New Year’s Holidays.
The catch? You need to make a reservation and complete an “introductory session”.
Before using this gym for the first time, you will need to take an “introductory session”. An advance reservation is required. Call them on (+81) 06-6576-0071.
This includes an introduction to the facility, taking measurements, creation of a training program and explanation of how to use the machines, etc.
Before doing this, they will want you to fill out an application form and health questionnaire.
This all seems like a major pain in the arse, but you might be able to get out of it.
If you are: a) 20 years old or older; b) have been training at a gym for at least a year (excluding a university gym, for some reason); c) are able to squat 1.5x BW, deadlift 1.5x BW and bench 1x BW; and d) are able to create your own training program, then you won’t have to go through with this bullshit.
My interpretation of this is, if you past the DYEL (do you even lift?) test, then they won’t ask you to do it.
You still need to make a reservation before visiting the gym for the first time, however.
The possible times you can make said reservation are 10:00-10:15, 11:00-11:15, 12:00-12:15, 14:00-14:15, 15:00-15:15, 17:00-17:15, 18:00-18:15 and 19:00-19:15.
Update: 4/24/2019 submitted by Logan: “I went today and they gave me no hassles. The receptionist had a flowchart with English questions /prompts to point through, I had to read a rule sheet, and that was it. No ‘training’ session to mess with, though tbh I’m not sure if that was just a judgement call based on my appearance.”
What if I don’t speak Japanese?
Then you’re probably shit out of luck, my friend. You will need a Japanese-speaking friend to take you there.
How are the facilities and atmosphere?
Equipment: (List translated from the official website) Bench Press x 2, Incline Bench Press, Smith machine x 2, free racks x 3, safety squat, dumbbells 1 kg ~ 100 kg, preacher bench, deadlift platforms x 2. There is also a large range of plate-loaded machines and weight stack machines (like 30 different machines – too many to list). See the pictures for details
Other facilities: There is a swimming pool, but you have to pay extra
Conclusion
Looks like a large and very well-equipped facility. Cheap too! There is a bit of bullshit to deal with before you can actually work out in the gym, but it seems worth it if you plan to use the gym a few times. It’s probably not gonna be easy for non-Japanese speakers though.
Disclaimer: I haven’t been to this gym yet. I have simply collected all the information I could find in Japanese from various sources and the official website and translated it into English.
Have you been to this gym? Leave a comment and let us know what you thought!
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