So it has come to the third and final instalment of my trip to Japan. I spent the last 2 and a half weeks of the month in Japan doing touristy stuff like visiting various shrines and parks in Tokyo as well and visiting the more popular gyms near by.
So here is a list of the gyms I visited and climbed at.
Climb Park Base Camp IrumaBase Camp TokyoFish and BirdBouldersUndergroundMaboo
My main purpose of wanting to visit various gyms was to compare the setting styles between Singapore and Japan and also see how consistent their grades were among all the gyms.
The grading system that Japan uses is slightly different from the ones which we are used to (V-grades). I got a comparison table for you guys just in case you’re interested. (The table on the right!)
Climb Park Base Camp Iruma
Nearest train station: Musashi-Fujisawa station and walk 10–15mins
Facilities: Lead/Toprope/Boulder/Training Area
Amenities: Lockers/Showers/Pro Shop/Vending Machines for hot/cold drinks/Lounging and eating area
Nearby: Supermarket/Hardware store/Convenience Stores/Restaurants
Who doesn’t know about this gym!? Well, for those who don’t, here’s some info. Yuji-San started the gym in 2010 and it looks like its popularity is rising as the days go by.
They open at 12.30 on weekdays and by 1/2pm it’s packed with climbers from various age groups. Ranging from beginners to young punks in the gym and even 50/60 year old uncles and aunties. Don’t be surprised that some of these aunties/uncles actually climb and try harder than the young punks. The earlier crowd tends to have a lot more lead climbers than boulders thou. The benefit on climbing early in the day is that you pay cheaper entrance fees but it also means you are limited to climbing until 6pm only.
Once the clock hits 6pm, the earlier wave of climbers will automatically leave and a new group of climbers will start to flow in to the gym. Mainly the working adults and the more hardcore climbers will also be training around this time.
Grading in base camp tends to be a slightly softer than the other gyms that I’ve visited. This is due base camp being very accommodating to beginners and new comers to the sport.
Base Camp Tokyo
Nearest train station: Kotakemukaihara station 1–2mins walk from exit.
Facilities: Bouldering only
Amenities: Toilets/Changing rooms/Lockers/Vending machines/Lounging and Eating area/Small Pro shop
Nearby: Supermarket/Convenience stores/Small Eateries
Base Camp Toyko, opened in early 2015, looks like a very small place but actually has quite a large interior. This gym is SUPER clean and even has a chill out/ observation deck on the second floor overlooking some of the walls.
This operates the same as Base Camp Iruma. If you climb early in the afternoon till 6pm, you get to pay a cheaper rate. Grading wise, it’s also about the same. All climbs are graded slightly softer than the others that I’ve visited.
Fish & Bird
Nearest train station: Toyocho station and take a 10min walk.
Facilities: 2 storeys of bouldering/training area
Amenities: Lockers/Backyard lounging area/Pro shop
Nearby: Can’t remember much because I only went there once 😔
This gym boasts 2 levels of bouldering accompanied with a backyard for chilling out, eating and parties. The first floor comprises of mainly flat, slab and slightly overhanging wall whereas the second level holds majority of the overhangs.
Akin to all other gyms, the entire gym is super clean. Even thou I only went there once, the staffs were very friendly and showed me around the place and explained in detail about their taping/grading system.
The gym is also very family friendly as their staffs also acts as the coach for the Fish & Bird junior climbing team. I was at the gym at 10.30am and there were already 2 different groups of kids being coached. The kids that were climbing may or may not be physically very strong but their movement, and how they flow on the wall is amazing!
The grading of the problems here is probably the stiffest among all the gyms I have been to.
Boulders Climbing Gym
Nearest train station: Rokucho Station and walk 15–20mins
Facilities: Single storey bouldering with various wall angles and up to 6m high.
Amenities: changing rooms and lounge area on 2nd floor/vending machines outside/small pro shop
Nearby: Long walk along housing estates and sports compounds. Decent restaurants along away.
Boulders is probably one of my favourite gyms of this trip because their problems are well thought of and climbing with that height of the wall is very committing! Harder routes could be a little height biased thou. (The head setter for boulders is quite tall. 😐)
Underground Climbing Gym
Nearest train station: Jujo station/Higashi-Jujo station, depending where you come from.
Facilities: Basement bouldering gym.
Amenities: lockers/changing rooms/lounge area. On a special occasion, lounge area will have a physiotherapist which you can pay them to give you massage.
Nearby: Lots of restaurants within a 5mins. If you come from Jujo station, then there is a shopping village? I’m not sure of how to describe it. Haha.
Don’t be fooled by its small and minuscule entrance from the main road. Underground actually boasts quite a large and roomy reception and proshop that can be converted into a party room and a DJ booth during their session competitions.
Maboo Climbing Gym
Nearest train station: Seibu-Tachikawa station and walk 30mins. 😧 Dennis and I had had the luxury to meet up with Okano for lunch before he drove us to Maboo for a short session with him. And after climbing we again had the luxury to have Mitsuo drive us out for dinner before he dropped us at a train station near our place. Can’t ever thank them enough!
Facilities: Bouldering gym in a warehouse
Amenities: Proshop/espresso machine!
Nearby: Nothing much nearby as Maboo is located in a industrial area.
Hands down the best gym I’ve been to in Japan. Problems here are so meticulously crafted and tested by Mitsuo and his team of setters. Problems here feel very very hard a first for their grades, but after getting the moves right, it actually feels easy. Problems here are also very beta intensive. One slip and you are spat off the wall.
Maboo houses majority slightly overhanging to slab walls and only 2 very steep walls, plenty of volumes and tonnes of fun on interesting problems. I’ve posted 2 of my favourite problems that I tried on Facebook. Check them out if you haven’t seen them yet!
So this is the end of my experience in Japan. Over the months I been trying to firm up future plans to head back again and more or less they are becoming concrete. I can’t wait to be back in the wonderful land of the rising sun!