Konami Sports Club — Local services in Kyoto

18 years ago, it was a status symbol to be a member of Konami Sports Club. You had to pay a really expensive registration fee before choosing a plan that limited your access to the time of day, the day of the week and the category of club you could gain access to. For over a decade this club was unattainable until I changed jobs a few years about and after Konami's many subsequent pricing system changes. I bring this up, because when you compare this branch to the image Konami had 18 years ago, it is a complete disgrace. The entrance to Marutacho's branch is in the parking lot of a supermarket. You cannot see it from the main road. There is only one sign board for Konami and it is off on one side of the building. Upon entering, the reception staff will greet you like every other branch, but their explanation of how to navigate around the building was seemingly confusing. Upon going around the floors, you'll realize you've walked right into a maze. Two floors up the main stairwell leads you to the mens locker room. You take a different stairwell to reach the machine room and studio. Do not take this second stairwell down to the first floor if you are a male, as it only leads to the female locker room. To be honest, I don't even know if this information is accurate. I was taken for a ride in this building. I found myself going one way and then needed to backtrack. The shower room is beside the locker room, but in order to reach it, you have to step out momentarily into the corridor naked. The showers had really weak water pressure and the water left a really metallic taste in my mouth as well. The shower was not refreshing at all. To top it off, I almost slipped on my first step in the shower area. Finally, the queuing system for the studio classes is somewhat irregular here. I had already made a reservation for the classes the day before, but it seems the members here go by a completely different system. They have queuing cards and someone else had the exact same number as me. What is the point of reserving online if someone can just take your place? I know Konami sometimes tries to make the most of whatever building they find themselves in, but some branches are clearly much better than others and when they fall under the same category and there is no difference in price to go to one than the other, it just doesn't...

I decided to sign up for this gym, because it’s extremely close to my house and very convenient. That being said, it is extremely old and a tad bit dirty, but the equipment is relatively new. The running machines for example, allow you to watch a few Japanese TV shows, as well as lots live running scenes.

I also really like the classes, but they don’t explain them super well, so a class that said it was yoga, turned out to be stretching for old people. And another class called body balance, turned out to be Yoga. Because no one told me that you were supposed to line up in advance for reserved classes, up to 15 minutes before the class even starts, One of the teachers scolded me for not lining up. But again, it was my first class, and I wouldn’t have known, because none of the staff told me.

Also, when you first sign up they give you a one hour session of a personal trainer, but that actually means that they spend 30 minutes making the plan for you, about 10 minutes talking to you about what your goals are, and then finally, another 20 minutes or so of actually showing you how to use the equipment. I was a little underwhelmed, as I was super excited to get a free personal trainer for an hour. Turns out, it was only about 20 minutes of personal training.

But I really like the showers, as it feels like a mini Onsen. And they have a super tiny Jacuzzi in the girls bathing room.

Finally, I really enjoyed the body combat class, so I’m thinking about going again. It was a high intensity cardio kickboxing class that...

Like many other gyms in japan they don‘t seem to like foreigners. When I asked (in Japanese) if I can train for one day only the guy behind the counter hinted me towards the vending machine. When I found the ticket another guy came in and told me that it‘s not possible to train for one day and that this ticket is only for members (of course he wouldn‘t explain how to join). When I then said that I read about a one day experience fare on the website he looked surprised and then told me that you need a reservation for that. Of course I had to ask if is fully booked today before he checked and...