NOBOROCK Shibuya Bouldering GYM — Attraction in Tokyo

TLDR: broken ankle because of unsafe mats.

While the staff are friendly and the gym is very casual, there is a real problem with the safety and security of the gym. I will 100% take responsibility, since I chose to climb and know the risks, however the condition of the mats, especially on the 2nd floor, are terrible. There are dead spots in the mats, places where there is no padding, and you can see they know about it, because they've strewn some extra thin mats on top. These additional mats are not secured in place, and so obviously move easily. While climbing one of the white routes (2 dan), a blue slab on the side wall, I jumped off from the top of the wall. Where I landed unfortunately, had zero padding or cushion in the mat, and my foot basically smashed right into the concrete floor below. I heard a loud crack and was immediately in excruciating pain. My ankle swelled right away and I had a terrible feeling it was broken. A doctors visit and an x-ray later, yup, it's a clean break on the end of my ankle. Accidents happen, but I did not fall in a bad way, and landed properly, feet first. However the quality of the mats and the protection they provided literally did nothing. The staff member who came to see me after my friend asked for ice, seemed concerned, but looked more scared than helpful. There is no reason for a gym that has the traffic Noborock Shibuya does, should not be updating and repairing their mats. My mistake for assuming things would be okay and not being more thorough checking everything, but the gym should take responsibility and make sure they provide a safe environment, especially for first...

Friendly staff, even at least one person who speaks English! The people inside are a good mix of foreigners and Japanese people, and there is an entire area for beginners/warm ups. The rest of the place is a variety of grades which are set up by color with only the start and end holds marked with colored tape which correlated to a chart on the wall. Added bonus, the color chart on the wall has three different grading systems listed, the dankyuu, V-scale, and the French system. Routes were a wonderful diversity of climbing types with some traverses in the mix as well. They have courtesy rules posted in various places, and give shoe rental and chalk rental for free with your first new registration/visit.

I will say that it's a little confusing to find the main entrance, as there is an upstairs and downstairs area that are not connected. The upstairs area is visible from the street, but you need to go to the stairs out front to go to the main desk.

How to get to registration: if you are on the street parallel to the building there is a stairwell in FRONT of the building on your right that leads down. The elevator inside the building does not take you to the entrance, but it does lead to a restroom on that floor. Go down the stairs, scan the QR code to register (they have wifi inside if you're non-local), take your shoes off at the door, keep the QR code from your registration, they will need to scan this to set up your account (a copy will be sent to...

I’ve been to NOBOROCK a couple of times now, and it’s been a great experience! The staff are super friendly and helpful, even if your Japanese isn’t perfect. The routes are fun and well-balanced, with problems for every level—from complete beginners to advanced climbers. The atmosphere is really welcoming and relaxed, which makes it easy to focus and enjoy climbing.

The gym is clean and well-organized, and they update the holds regularly so there’s always something new to try. I also appreciate that it never feels too crowded, especially on weekday evenings.

If you’re in Tokyo and interested in bouldering, I highly recommend giving NOBOROCK a try. Great for both solo sessions and going...