Question Are there any off base gyms in Okinawa?

[Evin]

Hi all,

I’m gonna be back on island soon, but I don’t intend to be SOFA status again for the first couple of months. I’m going to be staying in Naha and I was curious to know if there are any good gyms down there; your review said that the Anytime Fitness around Shuri was kind of lackluster for any dedicated weightlifters.

Is there anything good for a power lifter? I need to stay sane while I’m relaxing. I will have base access for school but heading up there from Naha every day would probably become a real pain real fast.

Thanks in advance!

 

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[WA6]

Hey there

My husband goes to the Anytime Fitness by our house and he likes it. Maybe it depends on the place? I don't know, but maybe you should go around and actually see inside them to see if they do have what you want. Sorry if it's not what you wanted to hear! ?

 

[Evin]

Thanks for your reply!

Is it the one in Urasoe or Naha?

 

[David]

I go to the Anytime Fitness in Oroku (Naha). I believe, after visiting the other 2 locations (Naha and Urasoe) that its the best if you're into lifting weights.

There are more free weight options there like racks and benches, which you know not having many of those is problematic if you ever go to a busier gym. The other two (Urasoe and the Shintoshin area of Naha) have fewer and their dumbbells only go up to 30kg, whereas it's up to 40kg at Oroku (Naha, near the airport).

Attached are some interior pictures of the place to give you an idea of the equipment in Oroku.

There is also Joyfit24, which I was a member of for some time, in Tomigusuku (a little past the airport if going south). I quit that one as it was way too crowded and nearly every bench/cable machine is always taken and you had to reserve 20 minute time slots to use them (which if you're doing a heavy 5x5 is barely enough time). But, they did open a new location near Main Place in Naha. I've not been to see it in person, but it looks bigger as I've seen YouTube ads of it.

If you like swimming too, there's Sky Sports near the airport. The free weight area is very limiting, but there's a lot of machines to compensate. The bonus here, of course, is there's a pool, "hot tub" (not very hot at all) with jets, and a chill bath (unsure of how cold it goes, but it's freezing; I guess that's good for skin and recovery).

Wired Gym is in the Matsuyama area and are quite pricey, but for that, you get an entire gym to yourself at times.

Anytime Fitness requires foreigners to pay in cash by the 25th of each month; Joyfit24 will charge your credit card automatically; I believe Sky Sports requires a Japanese bank account that they automatically withdraw from (it's been years since I've been so they may have different options); and in regards to Wired Gym, you will pay in cash with whatever Yohei (the owner) and you agree to.

Like alot of places in Japan, tattoos must be covered at Anytime Fitness, Joyfit24, and Sky Sports whereas Wired Gym doesn't have a tattoo cover-up policy.

 

[David]

One thing that crossed my mind just now as I revisited this thread is that you mentioned that you're currently in the US.

If you do choose to utilize Anytime Fitness, you could probably save a few bucks (average costs can be $30-$40 or so in the States) by joining there and possibly choose a prepaid package to save even more ($400 for the year I believe and they might have quarterly memberships too) because one AF membership allows you to use all the facilities worldwide, for as long as you don't lose the fob (entrance key), which will cost 5000 yen to replace.

The fee here is roughly 7400 yen per month, or $67, nearly double what others charge in the US.

I would verify this with AF in the states before pulling the trigger because the savings is about 50% as opposed to joining over here.

I'm fairly certain that this approach will work because I sometimes see tourists coming in from Australia using their memberships (I don't know how much they pay, but it quite possibly could be cheaper).

You'll be able to switch it up and use all 3 locations in Okinawa if you choose to as well since you're not limited to Oroku only--a change of scenery is nice sometimes, and even though the other two are lackluster, they do provide some other options for targeting different muscle groups (e.g. a shoulder press machine at Shintoshin area).

Of the 3 locations here, Oroku would be best for powerlifting because they have the deadlift platform and you can go up in weight for bench and squats and no worries about "slamming" heavier weight (315, 405, etc.) if necessary (try not to though).

Sky Sports is a quiet place and I don't think they appreciate even a little loud drop for deadlifts. I wouldn't place it in the zone of the Lunk Alarm at Planet Fitness for example, but if you do get loud, you might be told to take it down a notch.

As I said, I haven't been to the new Joyfit24 location in Shintoshin, but since it's new, there might be a nice promo. I believe when I joined the Tomigusuku one, I got a free month. So if you can't finagle a deal stateside to save money on an AF membership, the Joyfit24 might be an option as it seems like you're only looking for using a place for a limited time until you can get SOFA and use the gyms on base (even though I have base access, I prefer the solace of not hearing active duty slap 1200 pounds on the leg press machine and grunting like they're giving birth, so the 7400 yen is quite nominal in that regard.

Whether you pick Joyfit24 or Anytime Fitness, you will find many more dedicated lifters that'll have no problem spotting you or giving you tips to improve. The culture in that regard is amazing.

 

[Cake and Ryan]

Shisa Fit just opened in Plaza shopping center and while It’s a commercial gym, it has ER benches and power racks. I powerlift too, and I’m happy with their equipment.