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A Deliciously Arty Climbing Wall in Tokyo

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Ever feel excluded from the jock gym culture of climbing walls? Here’s a climbing wall for the artistic design set. The Illoiha fitness club, in Tokyo’s fashion district, takes its cue from its neighborhood of chic design boutiques, fashionista shops, and art galleries.

Instead of evoking sweaty images of forced fun and stress and strain, it’s whimsical and fey.

The laid back pastel lilacs and mauves suggest that it simply doesn’t matter if you are weak or pale and thin and in no shape for physical exertion. Why not just drift up this wall anyway…? What possibly could go wrong?

Indeed, it looks as if passersby are doing just that. Even still in their decidedly non-jock outfits of fashion-y dresses and jackets and pants, just in their street clothes. One has not even taken off his shoes.

Since art galleries are a more common sight in this district, initially, this would be read as a spoof on art galleries, and only once customers are in the main… um, gallery space, would they cotton on to it actually being a climbing wall.

“We developed a design that uses the mismatch between a rugged outdoor sport and Tokyo’s fashion district to its advantage,” says Nendo, the designer.

“Instead of the usual rough and outdoorsy climbing wall, we came up with the idea of using interior design elements like picture frames, mirrors, deer heads, bird cages and flower vases to create a challenging wall with hard-to-find holds and unusual finger grips.”

Via Adventure Journal