It’s no secret that staying in shape can be difficult. Stats from the United States suggest as many as 65% of gym memberships go unused after an initial burst of enthusiasm. And it isn’t really hard to see why: For people unfamiliar with the gym, it can be a maze of oddly named activities and tortuous machines.

However, for Menya Hinga, founder of Sogo Fitness, the solution to the difficulties of maintaining fitness was simple — a community that encourages and supports each other in their fitness journeys.

“People think fitness is hard because it’s not enjoyable,” says Hinga, 36, who moved to Japan from the U.S. “It’s hard to commit to anything when you don’t enjoy it. Short-lived diets, gym bursts — all of these things don’t last because they’re not fun. But they’re still advertised as the ‘best’ way to get into shape — and that’s simply not the case.”

Having been a personal trainer for over a decade, Hinga has first-hand experience of supporting hundreds on their fitness journeys. But as the years went by, he began to realize there was more he could do to create a lasting change than just individual training.

“I was running all around Tokyo to these different gyms, and while it was rewarding, it didn’t feel very sustainable,” he says. “I wanted something that would encourage people to live happier and healthier lives. I think it was there, really, that the seeds of Sogo Fitness were planted.”

In 2016, Hinga and two friends, Michael Jiang and Mahu Kikagawa, founded Sogo Fitness with a simple, core goal that remains the same to this day — a community that connects people through fun, challenging and social events based around keeping fit and healthy.

Eight years later, Hinga has spawned a thriving, multicultural community across Tokyo.

Nowadays, Sogo Fitness offers free or subsidized fitness events ranging from intense Spartan race training to lithe yoga workouts. The events are held during the evenings and weekends to appeal to Tokyo’s professional set.

To see the Sogo mentality in action, you only have to go so far as one of its Pilates classes that take place in Tokyo’s trendy Nakameguro neighborhood. A recent addition to the group’s repertoire, the class is limited to 12 people and is frequently booked-out in advance. Held in the small yet cozy Powerspot studio, the community’s commitment to inclusivity is immediately on display — the far edge of the room is taken up by a children’s play area for mothers to spend time with their children while staying fit.

Members are greeted by Maya Furmanovsky, 29, from Shiga Prefecture. A Google digital marketing employee, she mentions how she hopes to eventually make exercise training a career through her time at Sogo. She joined her first session in 2017 and now leads the Pilates class.

“I really felt an attraction to the energy that Menya and the other founders had when Sogo was getting off the ground,” she tells me. “Everyone was so excited, and it felt great to have this positive, international community supporting me and socializing while I was working to keep fit.”

As she says this, the night’s participants trickle in behind her. There’s a clear camaraderie between them, with friendly chatter and catch-ups taking place in both English and Japanese. Furmanovsky greets a few of them and they filter into the studio together. Has it always been this way, I ask?

“I’d say so,” Furmanovsky explains. “This sense of being a part of a community, being surrounded by people who care — yes. Some things have changed, of course. During COVID, things took a downturn, and we’re just now starting to recover from it.”

The extended period of COVID-19 restrictions was a difficult time for Sogo Fitness, with limitations on gatherings and outdoor events forcing many classes to either cancel or, where possible, move online. However, despite the death knell it proved to be for other fitness communities, Sogo bounced back — Furmanovsky says that the main changes she saw after the restrictions were lifted were due to life events the participants had experienced in the interim.

“A lot of our regulars, and even staff like Menya, had children or moved,” Furmanovsky says. “We still had plenty of people who were part of the community and socializing, but I think the energy changed slightly. It used to be an extroverted energy, but now it’s a little more muted. It’s still supportive, still encouraging, which is what really matters.”

Throughout the Pilates lesson, Furmanovsky and the participants encourage one another with plenty of affirmations, and they finish by sharing their experiences together and taking a group photo. They emerge from the studio flushed but cheerful, asking about the next session.

One attendee is Li Xiaofei, 32. Originally from China, she comes to Pilates with several friends to socialize and stay healthy. Her friends introduced her to Sogo’s flagship Bootcamp program, and she’s been a loyal attendee for six years. I ask what she’s found so compelling about the Sogo experience to keep coming back.

“It’s definitely the atmosphere and sense of community,” she replies immediately. “I feel like whenever I go to a Sogo event, everyone is so full of energy and ready to support me. It’s a completely different feeling to working out alone.”

But for all the positivity and strength of community, Sogo’s goal of a multicultural fitness operation isn’t without its challenges. For instance, Li says the language barrier between members can cause issues in class.

“But even if you don’t speak the same language, that energy is unmistakable,” she says. “It means that even despite those challenges, we still have a lot of fun. Personally, I like to see it as an opportunity to learn from each other as well — this class has really helped my English get better.”

“That’s an issue for me, too,” Furmanovsky adds. “It’s a bit difficult to conduct a class in both English and Japanese, so native speakers of Japanese sometimes struggle. That’s why we use a partner system, so everyone has somebody to help them overcome that language barrier and create social connections to make sure they’re having fun. The sense of belonging and being part of a social group is why people really love Sogo and our classes.”

At the end of Pilates, it seems clear that, despite any challenges that have arisen in the eight years since its founding, Sogo Fitness is sticking to its mission to maintain a strong community around fitness.

“That community element was really rewarding,” Hinga says. “We’ve walked away from the idea that working out is something you do alone and that it’s a chore. With us, you’re surrounded by support, care, and a community — so staying healthy is something you look forward to. That’s the secret to keeping fit over time — it has to make you happy, too.”