Sunday, April 22, 2018

Japan’s First Street Workout Gym - Kamui Park

During a recent trip to Osaka, I had the chance to stop by Japan's one and only street workout gym called Kamui Park. This gym was opened just a couple of months ago by a friend from college, Kamui, who had been working out in local parks for some years before he decided to take the chance and open up Japan’s first street workout gym.

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The gym is situated right outside the center of Osaka, a 10-min walk from Tokuan Station (徳庵駅). We arrived at the gym in the morning after a nice warm-up stroll and was met by a group of sporty people all eager to improve their skills.

Above: One of the senior members of the gym showing us his skills. Impressive!

Kamui and his crew gather up in the gym 4 days a week between 12pm - 7pm to hang out and exercise. It was impressive to see the big age span of the people visiting the gym the day we were there; the youngest visitor was a boy from the neighborhood at around 7 years of age, and the oldest was well past his 60s.

Above: A strong performance!

Above: Other gym equipment are also available inside the gym

Above: No shoes in the gym!

Above: Kamui Park has already managed to get some media attention from local TV

I had the chance to ask Kamui about his motivation for starting with street workout. He explained to me that a couple of years ago he had been thinking about growing older, and how he would like to be able to lead a healthy lifestyle also when he gets old. Many people regret not having worked out at a younger age, and Kamui felt that he didn't want to end up with that sort of regrets in the future. By a coincidence, he saw some videos of street workout on YouTube, and immediately thought that this was perfect for him.

Above: The gym, seen from the outside. Notice the young member to the right!

Kamui used to work out in local parks with his crew, but he felt that there was no park where all the necessary equipment was gathered in one place. By opening his own street workout gym he also wanted to inspire other people doing street workout by showing that it is possible to turn their hobby into a lifestyle and in turn a real job.

Above: My sporty darling in action

Kamui hopes that he can continue to inspire more people to try out street workout and that his example can lead to giving the sport a good foundation to expand to other parts of the country. Seeing how his gym brings together members from all walks of life it is evident that his gym already brings communities together, and it will be exciting to see his project expand further in the future!

PS: Although their homepage still is in Japanese only, Kamui speaks fluent English and is very open to foreigners. If you find yourself in Osaka and want to work out, have fun and make good friends at the same time Kamui Park would most certainly be worth a visit!

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below
- Anette

■ Basic Info

・Street Workout Gym - Kamui Park
・Home Page: https://www.kamui-park.com
・Business hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 12pm - 7pm

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About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.