Sumida Sports and Health Center — Local services in Tokyo

DISCLAIMER TO AMERICANS! Japanese pools are usually for things like swimming laps. They are NOT used for jumping in the water and diving. This place does not offer any of that.

Disclaimer out of the way, this place is pretty nice. I'm new to pools in Japan, so there were a couple of things I wasn't used to. For starters, the swimming cap or bōushi. It's a requirement, not a suggestion. I got in the water after my shower, and the lifeguard told me that I needed to get a water cap. That being said, it's sold right by the pool, so it wasn't a far trek.

The second thing was the lack of a free swimming area. In American pools, it's common to have an open area that progressively gets deeper, then separate pools for diving boards, swim lanes, etc.... In Japan, it's more common to have lanes, then relatively shallow to baby shallow pools and lazy rivers. Was weird to me and may be seen as a little boring if lanes or lazy river aren't tour thing OR you don't have a kid.

Last thing, the pool room is warm. Like, really warm. Like, hotter than the outside temperature warm. It was 29°C outside, but 32°C inside the pool room. American pools tend to be very cold in comparison, usually requiring it to be at least 18°C+ to swim outdoors safely. Odd change, but not the end of the world.

Overall, not my kind of pool I think, but I don't want to ruin their score since I'm not necessarily the clientele. I don't have a kid and heard about the slide, so I didn't know it was for kids. Still, it's a nice facility in the local Sumida area and you can even see Skytree from the main pool! Recommended for those wanting to do a bit more athletic focused swimming for yourself...

Fun place to take a break, especially for elementary & younger kids! 💕 My daughter deserved a break after walking tours & secondhand kimono shopping, and this was perfect, especially on a rainy day! (Also happened to be FREE as the entry machine is broken? Bonus!) Smaller (& slow) waterslide ~ perfect for beginners & a cute little lazy river circling the pool. Also a jacuzzi. Bring ¥100 coins for locker room locker (you’ll get the coin back). No soap, so bring your own if you want to shower after. 👍 Bring a towel. Goggles & pool floats also allowed (but they have free kickboarda which we used to float around the...

A small pool facility, good for children. Free entry on 25th day of each month. 20 minute walk from train station. There is no English guidance, so be careful when choosing which lane to swim in (otherwise you might be scolded by the staff). The changing room is small, and the water in the showers is...