Every Anytime Fitness is the same — or so the assumption goes before joining. The same sign. The same 24-hour doors. The same machines.

100 visits tell a different story. The equipment, the space, and the air of the surrounding streets all differ. Some gyms greet you the moment you leave the station; others stand alone along a wide suburban road. Some neighborhoods make for a dull walk home; others let you follow a river as far as you like.

The pilgrimage began in Tokyo and reached Saitama, Kanagawa, Gunma, Shizuoka, Yamanashi, and Nagano. The 100th gym was Hachioji Motoyokoyamacho.

This ranking was first published at 82 gyms. 18 more visits followed, and not a single position changed. A few gyms came close. These 5 held their ground.

N=1. A record of one pilgrim’s own two feet.

🌏 日本語版はこちら / Japanese version

No. 5Tama Center

Here begins the Top 5. At No. 5 is Tama Center, 1 minute from Odakyu Tama Center Station. Pass the ticket gate and it is already there — connected to the station, and to a 7-Eleven as well. 4 benches, 5 Smith and power racks. Right by the station, and still room to breathe on the floor.

Tama Center ／ Connected to the station and a 7-Eleven. A luxurious interior and generous space rarely found in a suburban gym.

Why it stands out. Connected to the station, yet roomy — and quiet. The interior is genuinely upscale, with a refinement rare for a suburban gym. The showers and toilets are wide and barrier-free. There is no water dispenser, but with a 7-Eleven attached, a drink or a snack is never far away.

What makes it memorable. The gap between station-side convenience and this much comfort. It can be reached without getting wet on a rainy day, and the trip home can easily continue on to Tachikawa. A location that widens not just the workout but the whole shape of a day off. Across 100 gyms, no other station-connected location offered this much open space.

Who it’s for. Those who dislike crowds. Those who want to keep training on rainy days. Those living in the Tama area. A perfect fit for anyone who wants to train at their own pace in a clean, pleasant space.

▶ Read the full Tama Center review

No. 4Shimoigusa

10 seconds from the south exit of Shimoigusa Station. Step out, and it is right in front of you. 3 floors across the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. A Hammer Strength certified gym. 6 Smith and power racks, 5 adjustable benches. And on the 2nd floor, even a co-working space.

Shimoigusa ／ 10 seconds from the station, across 3 floors. From beginner-friendly to serious lifting, each floor has its purpose. Practically a theme park.

Why it stands out. It compromises on neither access nor equipment. The 3rd floor has room to spread out; the 4th is built for serious lifters. People are around, but with so many machines spread across 3 floors, there is almost never a wait. There is even a co-working space where calls are allowed — the facilities leave nothing to complain about.

What makes it memorable. A gym of this scale, steps from a small station on the Seibu Line, comes as a genuine surprise. The only weakness is that the walk home along the Seibu Line is a little dull. Met early in the pilgrimage, Shimoigusa became the benchmark. Every new gym that followed was quietly measured against it.

Who it’s for. Those who refuse to give up either access or equipment. From beginners to advanced lifters. Anyone who likes to switch floors depending on the mood of the day.

▶ Read the full Shimoigusa review

No. 3Yokosuka Shioiri

5 seconds from Shioiri Station on the Keikyu Main Line — practically connected to it. On the 2nd floor of a shopping complex. One floor, square in shape, and simply vast. A Hammer Strength Platinum Plate certified gym.

Yokosuka Shioiri ／ 5 seconds from the station. One floor, square and simply vast. A Hammer Strength Platinum Plate certified gym.

Why it stands out. 7 Smith and power racks. 10 adjustable benches. The sheer count is overwhelming — 1 more and you could field a football team. People were around, yet nothing required waiting. The free water dispenser serves hydrogen water, and there is a protein server as well.

What makes it memorable. Seen from the free-weight area at the far end, the room reads like a select shop for training equipment, with several machines rarely found elsewhere. If Shimoigusa and Seibu Yagisawa are theme parks, Shioiri is an aquarium. The windows beside the treadmills are frosted, so runners never meet the eyes of commuters passing through the station. The care runs that deep. The first gym outside Tokyo to break into the Top 5 — and proof that the long trips are worth it.

Who it’s for. Anyone unwilling to compromise on equipment. Serious lifters fill the floor, but there is enough room that beginners will not feel out of place. The neighborhood is worth the trip too — sukajan jacket shops, burger joints, an American air still lingering in the streets. The coast is about 30 minutes on foot, and the walk there is a fine one.

▶ Read the full Yokosuka Shioiri review

No. 2Musashi-Urawa

5 to 7 minutes from the west exit of Musashi-Urawa Station. A Hammer Strength Silver Plate certified gym. 2 floors across the 2nd and 3rd, and simply spacious. 6 Smith and power racks, 5 adjustable benches. A water dispenser. A co-working space too.

Musashi-Urawa ／ Hammer Strength Silver Plate certified. Across 2 floors, it feels slightly larger than Shimoigusa — one of Saitama’s strongest gyms.

Why it stands out. The 3rd floor carries a fully serious-lifter air. The machine lineup is rich, and even when people are around, there is no waiting. With the 2nd and 3rd floors separated, the crowd disperses and it never feels cramped. The mood resembles Shimoigusa, but here it feels a touch more spacious.

A tour of gyms,
that became a walk through the city.

What makes it memorable. A gym this good in Saitama was not on the radar. The walk home led all the way to Urawa — a calm, urban air, different from Tokyo. A place remembered not just as a gym, but together with its streets.

Who it’s for. Those who want to train hard for real. Those seeking space away from the crowds of central Tokyo. For anyone living in southern Saitama, a confident recommendation.

▶ Read the full Musashi-Urawa review

No. 1Seibu Yagisawa

10 minutes from Seibu Yagisawa Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line. A Hammer Strength certified gym. A 3-story standalone building with nothing built beside it — this Anytime Fitness stands alone along a wide road. 5 Smith and power racks, 5 adjustable benches. And space, plenty of it.

Seibu Yagisawa ／ A 3-story standalone building, with the feel of a structure built for training alone. Wide windows, open and airy. After 100 gyms, still No. 1.

Why it stands out. New and clean — and with space to spare. Shimoigusa is rich in machines but a little tight on room; here, the equipment and the openness come together. The machines are laid out with room between them. The windows are large, and the view is wide. This is not a gym squeezed into spare space in a building; it has the feel of a building made for training itself.

What makes it memorable. On the official page, it looked small. Opening the door told a different story — it exceeded every expectation, and seemed ready to surpass even Shimoigusa. The joy of this pilgrimage lies in the gap between the photo and the place, and here that gap was at its largest.

More than 30 gyms followed. The scale of Yokosuka and the open floor of Isesaki both impressed. Still, No. 1 did not move. Few buildings stand around it — only this one, made for training. It is not a place to drop by on the way somewhere else. It is a place you go to train. Across 100 gyms, no other location delivered that feeling.

Who it’s for. Those willing to ride the train just to train hard in a spacious gym. Those who want to keep their own pace in a quiet suburb. And with 12 free parking spaces, those who would rather drive. The area around the station is not lively. But somehow, that quiet is part of its appeal.

▶ Read the full Seibu Yagisawa review

RUNNERS-UP3 gyms that nearly made it

Each scored 11 points. Each holds Pilgrimage Class. These were the 3 that made the final order hardest to settle.

Nakamurabashi

10 seconds from Nakamurabashi Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line. 2 floors, ground level and basement, with the main floor below ground and surprisingly large. 7 Smith machines, 6 adjustable benches. The interior is stylish, hard to believe for a station-front gym. No water dispenser, and no mobile signal in the basement — those are the only 2 drawbacks.

▶ Read the full Nakamurabashi review

Shakujii-Koen

Part of the Top 5 until the 82-gym update. The gym itself has not changed. 3 minutes from the station. A Hammer Strength certified gym. Only 4 benches, but the rest of the machine lineup is exceptional. And on the way home, there is Shakujii Park to walk through. A gym where both the room and the neighborhood are worth returning to. Nakamurabashi is within walking distance, too.

▶ Read the full Shakujii-Koen review

Isesaki Midoricho

Gunma Prefecture. 6 minutes from Shin-Isesaki Station. A single-story building on a main road, next to a Lawson. The moment the door opens, the space rushes in. 5 Smith and power racks, each set a slight distance from the next. Even in the middle of the Silver Week holidays, there was never a wait. Afterward, in the rain, came a bus ride with no destination in mind. Go as you please; decide nothing. No gym embodies the spirit of this pilgrimage more completely.

▶ Read the full Isesaki Midoricho review

IN CLOSINGThe pilgrimage continues

100 gyms. It felt long, and also short.

Weekend after weekend, a new station. One more pin on the map each time — the steady progress of a role-playing game. Every week, a real step forward. A place outside of work, kept for no one but oneself.

Somewhere along the way, the pilgrimage became something close to a purpose. Exercise is good for the mind — a familiar claim. 100 gyms offered one personal piece of evidence for it.

Before joining, every Anytime Fitness seemed the same. 100 gyms on foot proved otherwise. Under the same sign, there is this much difference in equipment, in neighborhoods, in air. What began as a tour of gyms became a walk through the city. All of it was the pilgrimage.

100 is not the finish line. It is a milestone. A new chapter begins here. The pilgrimage continues.