Gym-going in Japan
By: Becky Searls
Tags: Culture, Workout, Cultural Exchange, Travel, Fitness

Gym-going in Japan

So you’re taking a trip to Japan? Congrats!! You are in for an incredible adventure to a place where literally anything that can be opposite of your experience in the western world will be.

Nearly every physical task you take on is likely to make you feel momentarily confused or stumped (feel like you should turn that faucet to the right? Nope, it’s left. Trying to pull that door open and find yourself struggling? Try pushing it instead, or sliding it sideways. Looking for the handle to flush the toilet? Good luck — you have an extensive menu of options from which to choose).

Even more than physical tasks, though, many cultural and behavioral norms are distinct enough in Japan to leave you feeling slightly off-balance, awkward, or even, sometimes, uncomfortable (feel like you should make eye contact with the person sitting across from you on the train? Maybe don’t. Does it seem like smiling would be a good idea generally? It might not be, unless you want to appear to be simple-minded, etc).

If you, like me, are pretty into fitness and love to exercise, you might find it a challenge to keep your usual routine going in Japan. There are a few ways you could approach this:

Just take a break. If you’re anything like me, you might actually have a tendency to over-exercise and your body could use a rest anyway. If, however, you are traveling for an extended period or moving to a new place, it’s worth doing some research to plan in advance what you’ll do to stay active while traveling. We are here for 3 weeks now, and moving back in August for me to participate in the JET program and teach English, so, this trip is serving as a good opportunity to think through some of the challenges I may face when we move here more permanently in a few months. If you want to keep exercising you could change up your routine somehow. For example, I’ve been weight lifting, but, in the past I’ve run a lot. So, training for the Tokyo marathon is an idea I’ve entertained and may still pursue if my knees will allow it. Having an event or goal to work towards might be good for motivation, too, particularly if you are struggling with the sense that you’re “downgrading” your exercise routine from your ideal (for me, weight lifting) to whatever will be most convenient (running = no equipment needed, can do it anywhere). You could also play around with body weight resistance training, which, counterintuitively, often feels more challenging that lifting heavy weights to me, because without all the weight, the only thing to focus on is reps to fatigue, mind-muscle connection, and intensity — all of which can add up to a really hard workout, while also tending to serve almost like physical therapy to ameliorate the aches and pains that we often incidentally accumulate from heavy compound lifts like squats and deadlifts. You could try to continue your routine in a new country by finding a gym that suits your needs, paying for a day, week/month pass or annual membership, and learning the procedures and norms that are in place at your new facility. This is probably only really a realistic option for those traveling to a single destination, or for those moving somewhere, like we will be in August, but, it might be worth looking into if you really love your routine. After all, studying or working abroad in another country can be stressful. Taking the time to figure out a way to keep one element of your weekly routine going might be a great way to add consistency to an otherwise big life change and could help manage stress levels.

The first option of taking a break above is self-explanatory, although I should also mention that it’s very likely that even if you “take a break” from intentional exercise you will likely continue to be plenty active during your travels in Japan. Extensive use of public transportation via train and metro always means a lot of walking to and from stations and between stations and points of interest; even on a low day of walking in Japan, I rarely have trouble hitting 10,000 steps and often get up to 20,000 or more! This amount of walking, paired with thoughtful, local eating of fresh, healthy Japanese food is probably enough to maintain your weight, if not your body composition, so don’t be too afraid of the scale.