B-Pump Akihabara: Tokyo, Japan

*Please Note*
All ¥ Yen to $ USD conversions where done on May 17, 2023. Depending on the fluctuations in the value of both currencies, these conversions may not be accurate.

Address
B-Pump Akihabara
1 Chome-1-8 Yushima,
Bunkyo City, Tokyo 113-0034, Japan
 5-minute walk from “Akihabara” station
 5-minute walk from “Ochanomizu” station

Phone
+81 3-6206-9189

Hours
Monday to Friday – 12:00 to 23:00
Saturday and Holidays – 11:00 to 22:00
Sunday – 10:00 to 21:00

Date Visited: May 28th, 2023
Size of Gym: 1980㎡ or 21,312 square feet
Cafe: No
Store: Yes
Types of Climbing: Boulder only

Registration Fee (Tax Included, Required for All Visits)
• First Time Visit: ¥2,200 or $14.13
• Visited Other B-Pump Locations: ¥1,100 or $7.07

Rentals
*Chalk rentals are not being offered at this time due to sanitation concerns*
• Climbing Shoes (First Rental Free): ¥330 or $2.12

Unique Features: This gym has an outdoor rooftop climbing island, a horizontal climbing routes, stiff grading, and the popular “space themed” climbing area.

Personal Rating: I give this gym a V8 rating.

This gym is one of the largest climbing gyms in Tokyo. Although it’s boulder only, it offers a variety of routes and styles to keep the climbing interesting. There are four floors, each with their own decorative theme and plenty of space to climb. The third floor is the most famous, with black walls with strips of light going through them. This “space theme” is a fun background for climbs. The setting is stiff compared to other gyms in the USA and Europe. This is fairly typical for a Japanese climbing gym, but it’s still a hit to the ego. The climbs were engaging and used a variety of fun and challenging moves.

On the fourth floor, there is a horizontal wall and an outdoor bouldering island. The horizontal wall (ropes style) has climbs ranging from 5.8 to 5.13. Each hold is tagged with a number and a color, and each route has a specific color tag. Climbers start on one side of the wall and follow the tags for the chosen route, using their left hand only for odd holds and their right hand only for even holds. The outdoor bouldering island has a nice view and is set just as stiff as the routes indoors.

The biggest critique I have for this gym is that there is no training area. This isn’t that important unless you’re making it your home gym and I think a large amount of climbers are visiting from out of the country. I’m not sure if training areas are a common feature for any other climbing gyms in Japan. Along with this, I personally prefer gyms that offer ropes climbing because it can help with endurance and other skills. However, ropes routes are also not as common in Japan, especially in Tokyo. Based on these points, I’d take this critique with a grain of salt.

Overall, I’d recommend this gym to anyone visiting Japan. In order to climb here, you have to put your ego aside and not chase grades. Although the gym can get a bit touristy, it’s a great facility and will challenge even the best climbers.