Japanese businessman Tatsuya Okawa intends to build a 26,432-square-foot building on State Road 56 near I-75.
By JAMES THORNER
Published May 13, 2004
WESLEY CHAPEL - A Japanese businessman plans to open an upscale club for both amateur fitness buffs and professional athletes on State Road 56.
Kaizen International LLC, owned by Japanese personal trainer Tatsuya Okawa, vows to complete the 26,432-square-foot building, about half the size of a large supermarket, in a year.
Okawa chose the 3-acre site near Interstate 75 with a mind toward luring the region's top athletes, most of whom live in four suburbs north of Tampa: Avila, Cheval, Hunter's Green and Tampa Palms.
Construction plans available to the public suggest the center will include not just the usual rows of weight lifting gear and cardiovascular equipment, but also an outdoor baseball diamond and bullpen.
Plans also call for separate parking lots and entrances for professional athletes and the public, although the two groups are not precluded from mingling.
Okawa established a reputation in Japan for what he calls his scientifically based training regimen.
He studied the fitness business in the United States and returned to Japan to open a company called STRONG-S.
His clients included Hideo Nomo, a veteran Major League Baseball pitcher now with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Kaizen, which means "Continuous Improvement" in Japanese, is scheduled to close on the land purchase in early June.
The site is part of the Seven Oaks development northwest of SR 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, next to the newly built Colonial Grand apartments.
