I went swimming! There is a poool not too far (20 minutes by bike) from my dormitory. This pool is way out in the country-side, though. It was obvious I was the only foreigner to walk through those doors in a long time, if ever, because as soon as the receptionist saw me, she panicked in terror. I just looked in her general direction and she was already looking for someone who could speak more English than she could. Funny. =) The facilities are pretty much the same as you would expect in Canada, except for one difference. The 25m pool is a constant depth, it does not vary at all, from one end to the other. It is a bit above waist level, I guess. So you can stop and stand up in the middle of doing lengths, no matter where you are! heheh.
The etiquette used when people swim is a bit different, though. The lanes are smaller, so a group of 4 people in one lane will pretty much occupy it. Not only that, but the 4 people will seemingly spend most of their time standing at one end talking!… or just standing. I think it’s common for a family or a group of friends to come to pool together and use one whole lane. Precious space. I don’t think anyone would ever pass another. I know I felt awkward even thinking about it… the pool is only 25m though, so it’s not that big of a deal.
It was very cheap (400yen), and I think I can manage going there a couple times a week. I felt very good, afterward.