The limited express Shinano pulls into Shiojiri. Stepping through the ticket gate, the station sign looms larger than expected.
The gym sits on the second floor of the YOUMEX building along the main road, sharing space with a coin laundry and a café — the kind of small mixed-use complex common in rural Japan.
Inside, the first thing that catches the eye is the window facing the cardio machines. Rice fields and mountains fill the entire view. It is the kind of scenery worth the trip on its own.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 1079-61 Daimon Kikyogahara, Shiojiri, Nagano 399-0745, YOUMEX Building 2F |
| Nearest Station | Shiojiri Station (10-minute walk) |
| Monthly Fee | ¥7,678 (tax included, ¥6,980 before tax) |
| Phone | 0263-31-6289 |
| Machine Brands | PRECOR / TORQUE |
| Smith Machines / Racks | 4 |
| Adjustable Benches | 2 |
Equipment
- Water dispenser: No
- Private shower: Yes
- Private changing room: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Yes
- Body composition scale: Yes
- Personal trainer: Yes
- Bicycle parking: Yes
- Car parking: Yes
- AED: Yes
- Contracted lockers: Yes (available)
- Free for high school students: Yes (available on request)
Access
A 10-minute walk from Shiojiri Station, or about 4 minutes by car. Right along the main road, so there is little chance of getting lost.
Atmosphere and Equipment
The gym fits neatly into one floor of a small two-story building. The layout is square, and walking straight in from the entrance leads to the lockers, showers, and restrooms — plenty of them, and clean. There is no water dispenser.
The stretching area is spacious, though members bring out their own mats.
The training floor centers on selectorized machines, with more than enough variety to work the whole body.
A large window sits in front of the cardio machines, opening straight onto the fields outside. The machines themselves are spaced generously, leaving room to move at an easy pace.
The free weight area sits toward the back. Adjustable benches number just 2, a little thin, and set somewhat apart from the lighter dumbbells. Smith machines and racks number 4, spaced well enough that swapping plates rarely puts anyone in another’s way.
The overall feel echoes BRANCH Chigasaki. Living nearby, this would easily become a regular stop.
How Uncrowded
A fair number of people were training. Many looked like young office workers, prompting a passing thought about whether they’d been transferred out to a regional branch office. With the machines spaced out as they are, the floor never feels crowded.
Surroundings
There is little around the gym itself. So this particular day continued on to Ina.
Ina is said to be a popular relocation destination, and the quiet of the town supports that reputation. A white Shiba Inu spotted along the road was impossible not to love.
A stop at Kasuga Shrine follows. A quiet life here does not seem like a bad idea.
Then, heading back, comes the discovery that a credit card had gone missing. The only option was the local train — a five-hour ride home.
A large fireworks festival in Suwa that evening had packed the trains more than usual. Still, it was nothing compared to a rush-hour train in Tokyo, even if it counted as a considerable crowd by Nagano standards. The difference in population density becomes clear in moments like this — and it’s easy to imagine a more spacious life somewhere out here.
An unexpectedly long wait for the next train opens up a chance to step out and pick up a Choco Monaka Jumbo. A small pause on a long journey home.
Overall Review
Anytime Fitness Shiojiri stands out for its cardio floor overlooking mountains and rice fields — a quiet, comfortable gym with no shortage of equipment and plenty of room to train at ease. Its location, though, is not particularly convenient on its own.
Still, this was a day that grew far beyond a single gym visit: a detour to Ina, a white Shiba Inu, a shrine, and a five-hour ride home on the local line. It became a pilgrimage worth remembering, well past the gym itself.
Rating
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Access | ★★★☆☆ |
| Equipment | ★★★★☆ |
| How Uncrowded | ★★★★☆ |
| Value for Money | ★★★☆☆ |
| Would Visit Again | ★★★★☆ |
| Overall Score | 9 |
| Pilgrimage Class Rated Yes if this gym is worth making a special trip for, even if you don’t live nearby. | − |
The pilgrimage continues.
📖 Japanese Review → エニタイムフィットネス塩尻店レビュー
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