Working Out, Gaining Weight, and Building Muscle in Japan—For Cheap

When I arrived in Japan in September 2023, I was a skinny 23-year-old guy, measuring 178 centimeters tall and weighing around 55 kilograms. I had been a stick man all my life, and after a couple of months in Tokyo, I even lost a couple more kilos—probably due to the one-onigiri-for-lunch diet it’s easy to fall into when adjusting to life in Japan. I decided I wanted to put on some muscle.

By the time I left the country in August 2024, I was already at a much healthier, much stronger 68 kilograms. I’m not a professional trainer, nutritionist, or sports science professional, but I still got results, and I did it without spending all my yen either.

In this article I’ll share how I achieved that, and give you my top tips on:

Working out in Tokyo’s parks, for free
What gyms to join and what to expect
Eating out without breaking the bank
Good groceries for bulking and where to get them
Supplements you can find in Tokyo (hint: Don Quijote might be your best bet)

Working out for free

Tokyo has an abundance of parks throughout the city. Since I needed to work out in order to achieve my goal, I figured, why not start out doing calisthenics?

Calisthenics is a form of strength training where you use your body weight as resistance, and it has the benefit of being completely free–if you can find a good place to exercise.

Big parks

There are two kinds of parks in Tokyo available for calisthenics workouts. The first is big parks—in my case, it was Ueno Park. Right next to the pond in Ueno Park there is some calisthenics equipment. In this kind of park, you’ll typically see pull-up bars of different heights. If you are lucky, you may even find other equipment, like parallel bars.

I worked out in Ueno Park a couple of times. Other people there are actually training and not just playing around. You can also see some groups of friends working out together, so if you want to make some friends, you may have it easier there.

On the other hand, these parks are usually crowded. The couple of times I trained there, I had to take turns using the equipment. I also had some older Japanese guys looking at me and clapping after every pull-up, repeating “Sugoi!” (“Wow, amazing!”). It was a cute experience, and I definitely felt like I was Baki Hanma, though instead of doing multiple one-arm pullups like it’s nothing I was doing about eight pull-ups and then resting for two minutes. I usually prefer working out by myself, without any distractions.

Small neighborhood parks

There are also many smaller, neighbourhood parks in Tokyo. These have sometimes just one pull-up bar next to the river, or a couple of pull-up bars between some trees. They are usually empty, except for a couple of runners who like to do pull-ups between their runs. Not many people wander around them, at least if you work out later in the day to avoid the heat from the sun.

One good experience I had was opening Google Maps, finding three or four parks, and walking for a couple of hours touring them and trying to find calisthenics equipment. It was a little adventure that helped me discover more of Tokyo, but with health benefits.

In the end I started training in the small local park nearest to my apartment, which had just one pull-up bar next to some tennis courts. There were a lot of families with kids there every afternoon. That may seem like a disadvantage to you, but in my experience, the kids and their parents were very polite and usually didn’t interrupt my workout. Working out in general, and probably calisthenics in particular, is not very mainstream. So you can get some “Sugoi!” comments and funny interactions with the families.

I remember one afternoon, a small kid started looking at me and asking their father questions. Then they both got curious, and the father approached me and asked me something. I was mid-workout and couldn’t understand, so I said “Sumimasen, nihongo wa chotto . . .” (“Sorry, my Japanese isn’t good.”). The kid just looked at me and kept repeating “Saakasu?” (“Circus?”) It took me three tries, and then I got it—yes, they were wondering if I was a circus acrobat because I was training with gymnastic rings. It was a great laugh, but it also made me realize just how unknown calisthenics were (and are) in Japan.

Investing in gymnastics rings

One of the things that is different about calisthenics in Tokyo compared to other places is the lack of variety in equipment. In Spain, even before calisthenics were popular, there would be at least a couple of pull-up bars, a couple of parallel bars, some low bars, etc.. I don’t know why in Tokyo, most of the time, you find one or two pull-up bars in a park and that’s it. Of course, you can go to the few parks that have more equipment, but the way I overcame the problem was by using gymnastics rings (つり輪, tsuri wa).

The height of the pull-up bars in Tokyo is . . . not so great. On most of them, I couldn’t even extend my legs while doing pull-ups. It’s not ideal for rings, but you can do pull-ups, dips, pushups, inverted rows, etc., using just one pull-up bar, so I still highly recommend them.

You can probably find gymnastics rings secondhand on Mercari. You’ll need some creativity and a lot of YouTube videos to figure out how to target different muscles with the rings, but the portability and versatility are a blessing in Japan.

I recommend wooden rings over plastic ones. Wood provides a more reliable grip than plastic, which is a crucial factor during Japan’s humid summers, when sweaty hands are prone to slipping. With some care, the rings can last for a long time.

Seasonal suggestions

Doing calisthenics outside is free, but there are downsides—let’s not forget about the weather. I was mostly scared about working out during the summer because of the high humidity and the heat. But to be fair, just get some Pocari Sweat and work out early or late in the day, and you are good to go.

To Spanish readers out there, you can also find Aquarius in Japan! Make sure not to underestimate the heat and humidity combo and hydrate plenty. You will probably have a convenience store or vending machine close enough to your park of choice to grab a drink before you go.

In many ways, what I struggled more with than the heat was the cold. Yes, Tokyo has a winter season. Yes, it will get cold. Don’t forget about it, and dress appropriately.

I highly recommend the HEATTECH clothing at Uniqlo for working out in cold weather. It is affordable and will also be useful if you want to do some hiking in any of the wonderful mountains of Japan.

But most importantly, it rains a lot in Tokyo. You might not be surprised by this depending on where you are from, but when you plan your routine, you have to factor in that there will be rain throughout the year, not only during the rainy season. During rainy seasons, you may get rain for 15 to 20 days of the month! So you should build some flexibility into your workout schedule.

From parks to the gym

Working out for free in parks is good, but it does have its limitations, as we have seen. The natural choice for convenience would be a gym.

Commercial gyms vs your municipal sports center

If you want to join a gym in Japan, be prepared to spend a lot of money . . . or so I thought.

Gyms are not as popular in Japan as in Western countries, but there are multiple commercial chains and private gyms. In my experience, the closest gym to my apartment charged 11,000 yen per month. That’s double what I paid in Spain for the same kind of gym.

There are cheaper chains, but still, all of them were kind of expensive for my budget. I visited a couple of these, and they were exactly like Western gyms: lots of machines, free weights, etc.

There is another option available: your municipal sports centers. You need to live in that municipality to register in most of them, but they are much cheaper than commercial gyms. In my case, the monthly fee at my sports center was under 3,000 yen.

What to expect at a sports center

Be prepared for a more limited experience, particularly with regards to weight training. I was surprised they’d filled half of the already small area with treadmills. The other half included machines, free weights, and a stretching area.

These gyms are used by everyday people: the elderly, parents who get some free time after work or around their childcare obligations, etc. So these places don’t cater to bodybuilders. Also, if you talk about the gym with Japanese people, you may find that most of them go there to lose weight, not gain it.

That said, and in my personal experience (this may vary depending on your area), I found everything I really required. I just had to rethink my gym experience. You don’t need three different machines for targeting your pectorals, you have some dumbbells and an adjustable bench. What else is needed?

Dumbbells are also more limited than in Western gyms in terms of maximum weight. But I’m not trying to fool anyone here—I didn’t need them to be 30 kilograms or more.

In my case, there was also no squat rack. If you wanted to do squats, there was one Smith machine.

Enrolling

To enroll in this type of gym, be prepared to take some kind of examination and to speak some Japanese (or bring a friend who can do it). I was weighed and had my blood pressure taken, and then I filled out a paper with multiple questions about my health—all in handwritten Japanese.

The staff was friendly, and they helped with handwriting, but they knew almost no English. Also, they explained how to use the gym in Japanese.

I can hear you asking: “Wait, what do you mean by ‘how to use the gym’?”

Japan’s gym rules

The staff weren’t talking about how to use the machines (although of course they can help with that, too). They were teaching me some very specific gym etiquette.

I was surprised I had to wipe the equipment (dumbbells, machines, etc.) before and after using them with the cloth and disinfectant spray provided there. Also, before using the barbell and bench setup or the Smith machine, I had to reserve a slot by writing my name on a paper.

This routine may vary in other gyms, obviously, but I loved the custom of cleaning before and after using the equipment. I wish this was also done in Spain.

Another difference I discovered in Japanese gym culture was the silence: no loud grunts or screams, and nobody was chatting at a high volume. Also, people did not use the equipment in turns. I am used to sharing a machine when the gym is crowded, but there I never saw anybody using equipment in turns. I can understand that if you are supposed to clean before and after using the equipment, it would become very tedious to rotate between users.

I also found fewer people using their phones at all during their workouts. Almost nobody was just sitting around on a machine, taking really long breaks and looking at their phone. I almost felt bad about making notes on my reps and weights on my phone between sets.

Despite these limitations, I really enjoyed training there and stayed enrolled for most of the year, while also continuing calisthenics on the side. That said, training was only part of the equation.

Gaining weight cheaply

Working out is important if you want to gain weight and muscle, but you also need the fuel for it, so now let’s talk about food.

Eating out

Let’s start with the easiest way—eating out. Fortunately, eating out in Japan is generally cheap and healthy. In Tokyo you have a whole range of options, from American fast food chains to luxury restaurants.

There is a common misconception that Japanese food is inherently healthy, but that really depends on what you’re eating and how it’s prepared. It’s important not to assume everything is going to be nutritious and cheap.

I would recommend exercising common sense—if it’s a Japanese dish but you can see everything is fried, of course it’s not going to be the best for your health or your muscle gain.

Bento

You already probably know about bento (弁当), Japanese pre-made boxed meals. You can buy them at convenience stores, supermarkets, and other kinds of stores.

Generally you can expect a somewhat balanced meal in a bento. Usually they have rice as the carbohydrate, meat or tofu for protein, and veggies, including pickled vegetables as a side.

What you may not know is that there are some street sellers of handmade bento in office areas. They have large bento for cheaper than what you’d usually see at a store. (Of course, don’t forget your cash for this.)

I remember while I was studying in a language school at Shibuya, some of my peers found a seller near the school, and we would take turns going to buy bento for everybody. They were huge for the price.

Family restaurants

If you can’t find a trusty local “bento dealer” in your area, your next best bet would be chain restaurants. In fact, that was where I usually ate my dinner when I worked out late in the evening at some random park far from my apartment.

I recommend going to Matsuya since you get a reasonably-sized bowl of rice with beef (牛丼, gyuudon) for around 400 yen.

Several different types of sauce are available for free on the tables, so you can go ham with those. The sauces may be great if you need some extra free calories, but don’t overdo them, if you want to gain both weight and muscle and not just weight.

Other chains offer different kinds of rice bowl dishes (丼, donburi) and other specialties for a low price. If you feel adventurous, you can try to find a local restaurant with a more home-style meal for a similar price.

THE カロリー (THE Calorie)

Speaking of extra calories, I remember when I opened LINE news one day and saw the announcement for the new THE Calorie lineup from Lawson. What caught my interest was the cutlet sandwich (カツサンド , katsu sando).

If you don’t know what a katsu sando is, it’s a sandwich with a breaded pork cutlet (豚カツ, tonkatsu) inside. Other ingredients include shredded cabbage and katsu sauce or mayonnaise. The THE Calorie version of the katsu sando was a whopping 1300 calories packed into an almost normal-sized sandwich.

At first, I was a bit confused since I couldn’t find these high-calorie foods anywhere. Then I realized I was looking for them at normal Lawson convenience stores, but they were being sold at Lawson 100 stores. You need the green stores with a 100 on the sign, not the regular blue ones.

These sandwiches may not be the healthiest. I imagine they probably had to pump up the calories with the sauce. But the ones I ate were tasty and had a lot of meat, and I did not feel at all awful after eating one. Use these with caution, but if you are underweight and have a busy day, it’s a good way to catch up fast on your calorie intake.

I saw there were some desserts in the THE Calorie lineup and other kinds of sandwiches, but I never tried them. I wasn’t interested in only sugar calories, and I just couldn’t find the other sandwiches. Plus, I already loved regular katsu sando, so this THE Calorie version was like a gift from heaven for me.

Supermarkets

Eating out is cheap and great if you’re busy, but you may soon realize you don’t want to keep eating out for every meal of the day. Also, at some point you get lazy, it is raining outside, and you don’t want to walk anywhere. So you go to the closest option, which is usually a convenience store—and then you end up in a loop of eating convenient, but not as cheap, food. At the same time, you may find that Tokyo is full of small to medium-sized supermarkets, which are not that cheap compared to eating out.

Finding the right supermarket

The natural impulse is to try to find a bigger and cheaper supermarket. These are usually multifloor buildings and do offer more variety in both products and prices.

However, there weren’t any close to where I lived. I found that buying small amounts of groceries far away took a lot of time, but buying in bulk and then riding the train was either impossible or very uncomfortable. Walking may be an option if you have time, but I wouldn’t recommend carrying food that needs to be refrigerated on a 45-minute walk under the sun while it’s 30 degrees outside.

Finally I located Niku no Hanamasa (肉のハナマサ), a supermarket for small restaurants. There was a location 10 minutes away from my home, and this is where I found the cheapest two kilogram bag of frozen chicken breasts.

Rice was also cheap there, and just for convenience, I bought frozen mixed vegetables as well. I would get a nice workout carrying a couple of two kilogram bags of frozen chicken, a five kilogram bag of rice, and some smaller frozen vegetable bags, all uphill to my apartment. What a great quadriceps burner that was!

Even though I never ended up shopping there because it was too far from my apartment, there is another similar supermarket for buying cheap bulk groceries, Gyomu Super (業務スーパー). It’s often compared to Niku no Hanamasa, but tends to focus less on meat and more on frozen foods.

What groceries to buy

Since I was on a budget and also trying to put on some muscle, my main target was chicken, especially chicken breast: the cheaper, the better. Another key is buying five kilogram (or heavier, if you are confident you can carry it home) rice bags. Add some veggies and some spices or sauce, and you have a great main meal. If you sometimes change the chicken for pork or tofu, you’ve got everything you need for a variety of simple, cheap, high-protein dishes.

Another staple is eggs. Please don’t buy them from the convenience store, as you can get them for half the price elsewhere.

While on the hunt for good deals on eggs, I also found low-cost vegetables in the neighborhood, at a store called Star Fruits (スターフルーツ, sutaa furuutsu). They are a low-priced vegetable store, and you can get cheap eggs there too, so I definitely recommend it.

You may also be wondering about milk, both for the protein and the fat content. It is indeed a good option for gaining weight if you are fortunate enough to tolerate it. Surprisingly, it was not that easy to find lactose-free milk in Tokyo, at least not actual milk. There are tons of options for soy milk, almond milk, etc.

I was under the impression that lactose intolerance was highly prevalent in Japan. While genetic predisposition does seem high, that doesn’t necessarily mean they completely avoid lactose. Many Japanese people can still handle small amounts of it, both in milk and other processed foods. I found lactose everywhere—even bread had it.

Fortunately in my case I am not intolerant, or at least I have not been tested for it, and I can manage any kind of dairy except milk. The only place near my apartment that sold something similar to lactose-free milk was one of the two Santoku supermarkets. It was an “80% lactose cut” milk that my body tolerated well, called “Gentle on the Stomach” by Accadi (アカディおなかにやさしく, akadi onaka ni yasashiku).

Whey protein and other supplements

Speaking of milk, it’s time to discuss supplements. I highly recommend whey (or any other kind of) protein powder, especially if you have been skinny throughout your life. In my case, eating enough protein and calories was the most limiting factor, so drinking a couple of protein shakes a day helped a lot.

In stores

My first encounter with protein powder in Japan was at Don Quijote (popularly known as “Donki”), which may be your best bet.

At Donki I was amazed to find Hatsune Miku collaboration protein powders and many different flavors, like matcha and Royal Milk Tea. There are a wide variety of brands available for different price ranges, so you’re sure to find something you like.

One thing I struggled to locate was creatine monohydrate. There were a myriad of other supplements available in stores, but not creatine. I found that odd, since creatine is probably second only to protein powder in popularity across Western markets, but maybe not in Japan, at least at that time.

There are also specialized stores that carry many brands of protein powder, but I found them more expensive.

Online

Eventually I discovered that Myprotein whey protein, which is sold in Donki and other stores, also has an online shop for Japan. While many people order supplements through Amazon, Rakuten, or iHerb, I found the prices there were generally higher.

Myprotein is cheaper on the website, and they have a lot of recurring sales. They also offer creatine, mass gainer, etc., and deliveries were quick. This became my go-to site for supplements.

Other supplies

For a shaker, I first went full cheapskate and bought one at the popular 100 yen store, Daiso, for precisely 110 yen. I also recommend Daiso for any kitchenware you may need, but that’s another story.

Unfortunately, that shaker lacked a mixing mechanism like a spring ball or mesh, and I got tired of drinking large protein chunks. I went back to Donki, which has multiple options and price ranges, and bought a 400 yen Myprotein-branded shaker that I still use to this day.

Final thoughts

My time living in Tokyo was wonderful for many reasons, but one thing I hadn’t expected to achieve when I moved there was gaining 13 kilograms in one year. While that number looked great, what mattered most was how I felt about the difference—even if it meant going up a size and changing my entire wardrobe!

My fitness journey not only made me healthier, but gave me a great reason to interact with locals, explore the city, and become less of a tourist. It truly made Tokyo my second home.

This article has been a collection of tips, but my most important advice is to not wait for the perfect setup. Be adaptable and make the most of your current environment. Walk around, explore, ask people! The resources are there if you are willing to look.