FW-78 -- Frugal Favorites (To Gym or Not to Gym?)

* * * * * * * * F R U G A L W A T C H * * * * * * * *
A weekly roundup of how to be frugal in the world's most
expensive country to live (unless you read this!), written
and compiled by Wendy J. Imura.

Regular edition, November 2, 2005 Issue No. 78
+++ INDEX

- Frugal Favorites (To Gym or Not to Gym?)
- Credits

SIGN UP FOR FREE!: Send a blank email to
join-frugal_watch@lyris.lincmedia.co.jp

========================================================
JIC Sponsored Interviews

You read Terrie's Take and JIN, and so do 54,000 other
executives inside and outside Japan. Let them know what your
company does, with our new Sponsored Interviews service.
We create a lead-in for the interview, and run it within the
newsletters, with links back to the page holding the full
interview. For a small additional charge, we will also run it
in the Japan Inc magazine, the www.japan.com website, and the
www.japaninc.com web site for archiving. Cumulatively, your
message will be seen by at least 120,000 English-language readers.

E-mail: sales@japaninc.com for more information.

========================================================
Focus your message

ASHLEY ASSOCIATES LTD. offers a full range of translation
and localization services to discerning multinationals.
For a non-obligation quote on your next project,
please contact Karl Hahne on (03) 5469 2849.
========================================================

+++ FRUGAL FAVORITES (To Gym or Not to Gym?)
(Note: While Frugal Watch author Wendy Jonas Imura is on
maternity leave, please enjoy a "Blast From the Past" - favorites
from past Frugal Watch issues. Wendy will resume new Frugal
Watch content in November.)

Dear Frugal Readers,

Joining a health club in Japan can be an expensive proposition. If you
are lucky enough to live near one, you will find that in many cases,
the facilities are quite nice. What they lack in space, they make up
for in a usually wide array of classes, equipment, and the obligatory
onsen/sauna. Most of the Japanese-owned chain clubs (such as
Tipness) offer a variety of membership packages: full memberships
(usually upwards of 12,000 yen a month), student memberships,
evening memberships (good from 8PM-10PM only for 6,000
yen/month), and others. Don't forget about the membership fee,
though this can be waived in some cases (check out Japanese
newspaper inserts - sometimes they advertise special deals).

As with any sort of investment in our health or education, joining
a health club is, first and foremost, all about good intentions. If you
INTEND on visiting the club three times a week, then the 12,000
yen/month fee at 12 times a month breaks down to 1,000
yen/visit - certainly cheaper than a day pass (usually around
2,000 yen). But it's amazing how quickly good intentions fall victim
to the realities of a busy life. My first year living in Tokyo, I joined
a nice, central gym downtown for 12,000 yen/month. While I went
about twice a week the first month, my busy work schedule got the
better of me, and I only went four times in the next five months.
If you do the math, you realize that this breaks down to about 15,000
yen PER VISIT! I cancelled my membership not long after -
chagrined but a lot wiser.

The moral of this story: consider very carefully if the monthly costs
of your gym membership will balance out over the long run. If you're
only likely to visit once a week, then (in most cases) purchasing
a simple day pass is likely to be cheaper. Also consider your
motivation: will paying for the privilege of exercising (which you
could do for free anyhow) actually motivate you to exercise more?
Or will guilt over your lack of gym attendance push you further into
coach potato-hood?

As my personality tends towards the latter, I found I actually had
better results exercising when I DIDN'T have a gym membership.
What did I do?

Well, the most frugal way to exercise more in Japan WITHOUT
a gym is an old Japanese favorite: walking.
In my case, I switched my commuting route so that I exited the
subway at a station one stop farther from my office than before.
This added an extra 1 km on foot (round trip) to my commute each
day, but after six months, I was five kilograms lighter. During rainy
or extremely hot weather, I always had the option of riding the extra
stop, but on nice days, the walk was great. I also began avoiding
the escalators and elevators in stations, department stores,
and buildings.
Climbing stairs builds muscle and burns calories. Finally, I bought
a plastic pair of dumbbells from the 100 yen store (the kind that you
can fill with water or sand), and did some very light weightlifting
while watching television at night. Cheap, frugal, and very simple.

Of course, there are many other non-health club options too - using
public sports facilities (such as pools or gymnasiums), joining
an amateur sports team, taking up jogging, or doing exercise videos.
And, if used wisely, health clubs DO provide a great place to get fit
and meet people. Just be careful that you really are getting your
money's worth based on how much you actually use your membership.

Frugally Yours,
Wendy J. Imura

========================================================
BiOS IT Support Services

Introduce some discipline and control to your IT infrastructure
by getting a quotation from BiOS for J-E bilingual support and
engineering. With 50+ engineers, we have the size and experience
to look after most sites and projects. Whether you have one
person or one hundred, we welcome all customers.

For more info: technology@biosjp.com.
http://www.biosjp.com

========================================================
Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo - Nov 1st Seminar

This coming November, EA-Tokyo's speaker will be Brian Nelson,
President & CEO of ValueCommerce. His presentation is entitled,
"Where Preperation Meets Opportunity." To register please
visit the EA-Tokyo website below.

Date/Time: Tuesday, Nov 1st 7:00 pm
Location: City Club of Tokyo - Maple Room (Canadian Embassy Complex)
Language: English
Website: http://www.ea-tokyo.com
Email: info@ea-tokyo.com
==================================================

------------- ADVERTISEMENT ------------------
In need of frugal, yet convenient, translation services for
visas or passport paperwork? Occams Inc.'s affiliate service,
Nihongo Benriya, provides affordable, quick-turnaround service
for koseki tohon (family registry) translations, marriage certificates,
drivers' licenses, and even automobile registration/export paperwork.
Visit www.nihongobenriya.com for more information!

------------------------------------------------
Subscribers: 1,063 as of Nobember 2, 2005

END
+++ ABOUT US

STAFF
Written by: Wendy J. Imura (frugalwatch@japaninc.com)
Edited by: JI

Copyright 2005 Japan Inc. Communications Inc.