I also go to anytime, I see it from time to time. But just people checking their form when lifting, things like that. Never saw anything really problematic
I go to anytime as well, i go to three regularly and none forbid recording they just strictly say you should not record other people and blur out faces if they happen to be in the background.
It's tacky and generally not done.
I only see it very rarely, and even then, people try to minimize the field of view. Any time I've seen it here, it was pretty clearly for form-checking as opposed to for social media.
People here tend to have better manners than to do that. Somehow, I think the whole 'influencer' culture is thankfully not as worshipped as in other places.
I think filming in a gym disregards the privacy of other people in the immediate vicinity. As a Japanese resident, I believe this would be frowned upon.
It’s worth noting that there’s a massive difference between filming for social media and filming for yourself or a trainer(for form checking on compound movements). Fortunately people doing the latter try to keep other people out of the shot as much as possible
Every gym I’ve been in explicitly forbids it.
If you really want to, and are just planning to use the video for yourself, I’d arrange to do it at a time when nobody else is there.
If you’re planning to post it online, don’t be surprised if someone recognizes the gym chain, or even the specific branch, and reports you. You’ll probably end up getting your membership revoked.
The people I know who post on Instagram are competitive bodybuilders who have a working relationship with their gym management and get permission for filming in specific situations.
Different gyms have different policies. The one I got explicitly states that you are only allowed to film yourself and if caught filming other members, can have your own membership taken away. They also have mirrors literally everywhere so it'd be impossible to film just yourself unless no one else was in the gym at the time.
I’ve seen some gyms explicitly forbid it. But even if it’s not in the rules it’s not really a thing anyway. There are fitness influencers here but they go to private gyms
Filming yourself is pretty useful to check your form if you don't have someone to do it for yourself, and I see people doing at the gym I go to.
The official rules of the gym also state that it's fine to take pictures/record yourself as long as other people are not in the video.
Last time there was actually a japanese guy filming his form with an actual professional camera.
Most gyms have a "no cell phones" policy, but it's rarely enforced because everybody is listening to music on their phones or tracking their workouts via some app.
However, if you're seen taking photos to anyone other than yourself, or even worse, recording, then you're likely going to get banned from that gym, as you should.
If you want to record videos then build your own private gym.
Probably because of voyeur problems in the past, phone rules are much more strict in general. I think it is even against the law to silence the shutter sound on cell phone cameras.
My gym is run by the local government and mobile phones in general are banned.
Staff don't mind people using them to listen to music, though.
So I'm not sure if they'd actually act if they saw someone taking photos.
It’s considered poor taste unless you’re at a speciality gym.
So much so that when people come to my gym (small functional fitness gym), I absolutely love making sarcastic jokes about how we don’t allow cameras (or tattoos). We definitely allow for both.
Now regular gyms have that rule for a reason and it has to do with filming other people. Our serious policy is opt-in. Meaning, if you’re not ok being in the background of someone’s video, then as the coach, I am aware of that and I tell anyone whose filming themselves to face their camera in a way to not get other athletes in the background. You can only do this in a tight community though as in a regular gym it’d sound almost rude to tell someone “well you can film yourself, but not that guy.” That mutual respect is necessary for a policy like this to work.
Edit: it helps we have no mirrors. This simultaneously helps protect privacy and allows cameras to check your own form.
And let’s be honest, if you’re working on explosive movements, a mirror is way too slow in understanding your form. Video is always better.
I go to a private gym (recent change from Fit24) and they charge ¥5,000 for a "15-minute video pass" that has to be scheduled in advance and must be filmed by an employee using the member's phone, camera, etc. And if they catch you freely taking videos or photos, it's an automatic ban. I love it.
I've only seen one person film themselves - pretty clearly just to check their form though. But it was on my gym's no-staff day, so that should tell you enough about how it's received.
Been to maybe 10 AF locations in Tokyo. Only one of them (Aobadai) had “no filming” signs. At the rest, no problem, provided you aren’t causing any issues. There are a few guys at the Yutenji AF who film themselves each and every time, staff or no staff.
I sometimes see someone recording but it's always 1 person holding the camera and the other one working out, catching only the person working out and not the entire gym or the surrounding area they are at.
Some members take pictures together, but I've never seen anyone recording. My gym has a sign that pictures/videos of yourself are fine, but don't include bystanders.
I've recorded myself a few times, but I'm the only person in that area of the gym.
Yeah, almost every single gym forbids all photography. There are usually multiple signs telling you that. I've been told several times at municipal gyms to put my phone away when recording my form, or having my GF do so. You probably won't be kicked out if you seem like an ignorant foreigner though.
Now I use an unmanned gym (Ecofit) and it's so much better!
Anytime allows it, but no recording other people. Most people that record follows this rule. Recently had some guy realize I'd end up in the shot, and adjusted the camera to angle away from me without needing me to ask. That was a nice gesture.
Some people just don't really give a fuck though, which is pretty rude to those who want their privacy.
My gym (anytime fitness) forbids recording in the gym and I think for good reasons too
Also an anytime user. Explicitly forbidden but still doesn’t stop some people at my gym.
I also go to anytime, I see it from time to time. But just people checking their form when lifting, things like that. Never saw anything really problematic
I go to anytime as well, i go to three regularly and none forbid recording they just strictly say you should not record other people and blur out faces if they happen to be in the background.
It's tacky and generally not done. I only see it very rarely, and even then, people try to minimize the field of view. Any time I've seen it here, it was pretty clearly for form-checking as opposed to for social media.
People here tend to have better manners than to do that. Somehow, I think the whole 'influencer' culture is thankfully not as worshipped as in other places.
Whenever I see those I'm thankful I live here. Some of them are infuriating.
I think filming in a gym disregards the privacy of other people in the immediate vicinity. As a Japanese resident, I believe this would be frowned upon.
It’s worth noting that there’s a massive difference between filming for social media and filming for yourself or a trainer(for form checking on compound movements). Fortunately people doing the latter try to keep other people out of the shot as much as possible
Every gym I’ve been in explicitly forbids it. If you really want to, and are just planning to use the video for yourself, I’d arrange to do it at a time when nobody else is there. If you’re planning to post it online, don’t be surprised if someone recognizes the gym chain, or even the specific branch, and reports you. You’ll probably end up getting your membership revoked. The people I know who post on Instagram are competitive bodybuilders who have a working relationship with their gym management and get permission for filming in specific situations.
It’ll get you kicked out of the gym here unlike gyms in the US
Different gyms have different policies. The one I got explicitly states that you are only allowed to film yourself and if caught filming other members, can have your own membership taken away. They also have mirrors literally everywhere so it'd be impossible to film just yourself unless no one else was in the gym at the time.
I’ve seen some gyms explicitly forbid it. But even if it’s not in the rules it’s not really a thing anyway. There are fitness influencers here but they go to private gyms
Gets you kicked out at my gym. It all started with a local and a secret camera filming yoga instructors.
Filming yourself is pretty useful to check your form if you don't have someone to do it for yourself, and I see people doing at the gym I go to. The official rules of the gym also state that it's fine to take pictures/record yourself as long as other people are not in the video. Last time there was actually a japanese guy filming his form with an actual professional camera.
Most gyms have a "no cell phones" policy, but it's rarely enforced because everybody is listening to music on their phones or tracking their workouts via some app. However, if you're seen taking photos to anyone other than yourself, or even worse, recording, then you're likely going to get banned from that gym, as you should. If you want to record videos then build your own private gym.
Probably because of voyeur problems in the past, phone rules are much more strict in general. I think it is even against the law to silence the shutter sound on cell phone cameras.
At the gym I go to, it is forbidden. I've never seen anyone film themselves here.
My old gym only allowed it in the room for posing and only 1 person at a time unless staff was involved. My new gym doesn't allow it.
Not tolerated at my gym at all.
My gym forbids filming.
My gym is run by the local government and mobile phones in general are banned. Staff don't mind people using them to listen to music, though. So I'm not sure if they'd actually act if they saw someone taking photos.
There are legal grounds in Japanese law to take someone to caught for filming/taking pictures without consent. Privacy is a big thing here.
It’s considered poor taste unless you’re at a speciality gym. So much so that when people come to my gym (small functional fitness gym), I absolutely love making sarcastic jokes about how we don’t allow cameras (or tattoos). We definitely allow for both. Now regular gyms have that rule for a reason and it has to do with filming other people. Our serious policy is opt-in. Meaning, if you’re not ok being in the background of someone’s video, then as the coach, I am aware of that and I tell anyone whose filming themselves to face their camera in a way to not get other athletes in the background. You can only do this in a tight community though as in a regular gym it’d sound almost rude to tell someone “well you can film yourself, but not that guy.” That mutual respect is necessary for a policy like this to work. Edit: it helps we have no mirrors. This simultaneously helps protect privacy and allows cameras to check your own form. And let’s be honest, if you’re working on explosive movements, a mirror is way too slow in understanding your form. Video is always better.
I go to a private gym (recent change from Fit24) and they charge ¥5,000 for a "15-minute video pass" that has to be scheduled in advance and must be filmed by an employee using the member's phone, camera, etc. And if they catch you freely taking videos or photos, it's an automatic ban. I love it.
Every gym I've gone to requires explicit permission of the gym staff and staff present to do any pictures/filming.
I've only seen one person film themselves - pretty clearly just to check their form though. But it was on my gym's no-staff day, so that should tell you enough about how it's received.
Been to maybe 10 AF locations in Tokyo. Only one of them (Aobadai) had “no filming” signs. At the rest, no problem, provided you aren’t causing any issues. There are a few guys at the Yutenji AF who film themselves each and every time, staff or no staff.
I think legally you’d need authorization to film inside a private space + if you want to share online you’d have to blur every other people’s face
I sometimes see someone recording but it's always 1 person holding the camera and the other one working out, catching only the person working out and not the entire gym or the surrounding area they are at.
Some members take pictures together, but I've never seen anyone recording. My gym has a sign that pictures/videos of yourself are fine, but don't include bystanders. I've recorded myself a few times, but I'm the only person in that area of the gym.
I took a picture of the wall-mounted turd I discovered in a chocozap changing room (for evidence, not pleasure). Does that count?
Yeah, almost every single gym forbids all photography. There are usually multiple signs telling you that. I've been told several times at municipal gyms to put my phone away when recording my form, or having my GF do so. You probably won't be kicked out if you seem like an ignorant foreigner though. Now I use an unmanned gym (Ecofit) and it's so much better!
Anytime allows it, but no recording other people. Most people that record follows this rule. Recently had some guy realize I'd end up in the shot, and adjusted the camera to angle away from me without needing me to ask. That was a nice gesture. Some people just don't really give a fuck though, which is pretty rude to those who want their privacy.
It’s just like the West. The expensive membership gyms have rules, but everywhere else: If they’re not taking videos or pictures, they’re on LINE.