Job Discussion Forums

[enderwigginout]

Hello!

I know this probably depends on area, but I was curious as to the equipment available in gyms in Japan (urban to smallish cities). When I say gym I mean a gym that contains free weights: heavy dumbbells (up to 100#s), squat racks, bench press etc. If this is not available in some areas, could you give me an idea of where?

Also I was wondering how expensive it is to eat healthy in Japan. A weight lifting diet consists of a good amount of lean meats, vegetables, and fruits. I know that it is not unheard of to pay $5 for an orange but there are alternatives, I'm just wondering if there are affordable alteratives. And I have no idea on meat (or sweet potatos). I've heard you can order (gaijin?) groceries on-line, but I assume that's mostly dry goods?

Any help is greatly appreciated. I'm trying to do research now on where in Japan I want to go. I'm thinking of putting down Oita City on my preference sheet for JET next year because it is the sister city of where I live now. Any info in regards to this area is nice!

Thanx again!
enderwigginout

[G Cthulhu]

[enderwigginout]

Okay. Wheewwwwww...

I read something on a humor JET site, and got the impression that gyms were rare in Japan. I guess they were kidding around though.

Glad I was worried for nothing!

[Glenski]

[PAULH]

Glenski

Just a quick note about FBC

It has a huge range of stuff mostly imported from the US, but when you order you must order in BULK, i.e not by individual items so its a good idea to mention that as well when you refer to people being able to get their Mars Bars or favorite salad dressing.


Grocery Prices in Japan


Curious about how much things cost in Japan? Here are a few prices collected from a few large-size supermarkets in Sakai City (Osaka).
Japanese Prices Item Amount Yen Price U.S.Dollar Price (Yen is now about 120 yen to the dollar so change the dollar amounts to reflect current prices)

Comments
White Bread 6-slice package 103 $0.87 Regular Price for inexpensive bread. Expensive white bread (6 slices) was about 200 yen at the time of this writing. Bread is usually sold in 4 to 6 slice packages
Eggs 10 134 $1.13 10 eggs (Medium size U.S.). Loss leader eggs are sometimes on sale for less than 100 yen
Whole Milk 500ml(1.05pt) 131 $1.11 Regular price, Meiji Brand
Meiji Sliced Cheese (Pkg of 10 slices) 190g (6.7oz.) 197 $1.66 On Sale
Chinese Cabbage 1/4 head 93 $0.78 Regular Price
Japanese Beef, Flank 374gm (13 oz.) 393 $3.30 On sale
Bacon 150g (5.3 oz) (10 slices) 261 $2.19 Marudai Brand, Regular Price
Round Eggplant, about 5" long 3 103 $.87 On Sale
Tomato 1 medium-sized 53 $0.45 From Kumamoto Prefecture. On Sale
Irish Potatoes Package of 5 small potatoes 100 $0.84 On Sale
Tofu 1 pack (330g, 11.6oz) 120 $1.00 Regular Price, high-quality tofu. Tofu on sale is about 40 yen for a half-size pack.
Spanish Onions pkg of 3 122 $1.03 On Sale
Spam 198gm (7 oz) 389 $3.27 Imported from the US
Hormel Chili with Beans 425gm (14.9 oz) 305 $2.56 Imported from the US. Purchased at a French chain supermarket.
Kirin Beer 1,000ml (33.81 oz) 525 $4.41 Can Beer
Rice from Hokkaido (Hokkaido Kirara) 5kg (11 lbs) 1869 $15.71 Regular Price
Tuna fish 165gm (5.8oz) cans 198 $1.66 Regular Price
Mayonnaise 500gm 208 $1.75 QP Brand. Regular Price.
Macaroni 200 gm (7oz) 103 $0.87 Regular Price. Nippn (Japanese) Brand.
Canned Tomatoes 400gm (14oz) 104 $.87 Kagome Brand (from Italy) On Sale
Soy Sauce 1000ml (33.8 oz) 199 $1.67 Kikkoman Brand. Regular Price

All items are domestic unless otherwise noted. The 5% National Sales Tax has been added to the products and U.S. dollar conversion done at 119JPY to 1 U.S. dollar. Brand names are listed solely for the sake of information. No endorsements are intended.

We will be adding to and making changes to this list from time to time so be sure to check back if you're interested. Prices were collected during the 2nd and 3rd week of January 2003.

Note: Japanese food prices have continued to undergo deflation during recent months along with other consumer items. The discovery of Mad Cow Disease in Japan has also driven beef prices downwards and increased the appearance of beef imported from the U.S. and Australia in the markets.

Consumer confidence in foods imported from China has yet to increase. The detection of outlawed pesticides in vegetables imported from China in 2002 led consumers to question buying vegetables from China, which are unbelievably cheap compared to those raised domestically. Also, a series of scandals in the labeling of meats and the selling of frozen food products for which the shelf life dates had expired have led to increased wariness by consumers.



Here is an old site (mid 90's) with prices in sakai, Osaka

[Sherri]

Paul
Actually you can order individual items from FBC. I do it all the time! Their Britshop is great for British food too.
S

[Celeste]

I am in F ukuoka city, and I go to Costco every week and we buy fairly cheap boneless chicken *beep* there. (I think its 43yen per 100g) I have seen a site called www.theflyingpig.com that will deliver Costco food to you- I have never used them though because I go in person.

EDIT**** I finally figured out how to type F ukuoka without getting *beeped* and now I get beeped for talking about the anatomy of chickens!!! I meant the white meat.

[hagakuri]

Hi,

It seems like a number of people have addressed the eating healthy portion of your question...although I have to add that I think those big apples are more expensive than an orange.

I looked at several gyms in and around the Tokyo-to area. Most of them were identically to gyms that you would find in the States. However, the membership prices were extreme. Some costing 20,000yen a month.

You were more interested in urban areas anyways so the below would prove more applicable in your case.

Most gyms tend to use the Nautilus system as opposed to free-weights. On the average the weight-equipment is about 6-10years old. Treadmills and stair-climbers are about 2-5 years old.

I joined a club that has a few locations in Narashino, which is about 45-50km south-east of Tokyo on the Toyo-Rapid line. The gyms name is YOUR SPORTS CLUB. It costs 6,000yen a month for unlimited use of the gym. It has a large lap pool, message chairs, and both free-weights and Nautilus. Not a bad deal. There was a one time fee of 3,000 yen, but they gave me 3,000 yen worth of gift certificates to use at their proshop.

You will spend a lot on food if you maintain the normal 2,000 to 3,000 high protein diet need to pack on muscle. I think the average Japanese person eats this amount of calories in a week... not a day. But, I am sure that they drink about half this much in empty calories from beer each day.... hehe.

Japanese gyms have some strange rules compared with the US. There are a lot of swimming pool rules that crack me up. And for some strange reason they think that a foreigner has no concept of how to use a Nautilus machine.. so they treat you like a baby with them. There are rules on attire you can and cannot wear. Little things that are not really a bother, but you kind of shake you head at with that `what the hell?` look on your face.

[enderwigginout]

Ah, thanx for the info on the food portion you guys! At least I won't have to worry so much about getting food!

I will be looking into urban AND rural. I'd actually like a little more rural than urban (with a large city nearby, but large for me is 100,000, not just Tokyo!). I really have no desire to live out my stay in Japan in that city just because it seems the most westernized.

Damn, its going to be hell finding a spotter isn't it?

I did see several posts where people mentioned that some gyms won't allow you to join if you have a tatoo. That sucks because I wanted to get one before I left. I could always just not change at the gym, but I wouldn't want to lie flat out.