Japanese walking is interval walking training: you alternate 3 minutes of fast walking with 3 minutes of slow walking, repeat the pair five times, and aim for at least four sessions a week. Researchers at Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan, developed it for middle-aged and older adults more than 20 years ago.
It works, within limits. In a 2007 randomized trial of 246 adults, five months of interval walking built more leg strength and aerobic capacity than steady walking did.
Most of the evidence comes from the Shinshu group and from adults whose average age was in the mid-60s. The results are best supported for that group and suggestive for everyone else.
What is Japanese walking, and why is everyone talking about it?
The official name is interval walking training, or IWT. The fast blocks are set at about 70% of your peak aerobic capacity and the slow blocks at about 40%. The fast blocks feel hard, and the slow blocks give you room to recover.
The “Japanese walking” label came later. Australian fitness coach Eugene Teo posted a 39-second video under that name in May 2025, and NHK reported that it drew nearly 55 million views. Teo told NHK the name helped it spread.
Coverage followed. The New York Times explained it on July 31, 2025, The Guardian covered it on August 9, and CNN on October 17.
Teo’s video promised ten times the benefit of a 10,000-step day in 30 minutes. No trial measured that.
Does Japanese walking work? What the research found
| Study | Who and how long | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Nemoto et al., 2007, Mayo Clinic Proceedings | 246 adults, mean age 63, five months, compared with continuous walking and no training | Knee extension strength up 13%, knee flexion up 17%, peak aerobic capacity for walking up 9%. All gains beat continuous walking. Resting systolic blood pressure fell more. |
| Masuki et al., 2019, Mayo Clinic Proceedings | 679 adults, mean age 65, five months | Estimated peak aerobic capacity up 14%. A lifestyle-related disease score fell 17%. |
| Karstoft et al., 2013, Diabetes Care | 32 adults with type 2 diabetes, four months, energy use matched | VO2max up 16.1% with intervals and unchanged with continuous walking. Fat mass fell only in the interval group. |
| Kanatani et al., 2025, Japanese Journal of Geriatrics | 48 older adults, mean age 70, five months | Knee extension strength rose from 20.6 to 27.2 kgf over five months, with significant gains up to month three. |
Two caveats matter. Adherence was uneven: in the 2007 trial, 42 of the 87 people in the interval group met their weekly targets.
And the benefits are not universal. A 2023 PLoS One pilot by Kitajima and colleagues followed 51 adults with type 2 diabetes for 20 weeks. HbA1c did not change significantly, and only 39% reached the fast-walking target.
A 2024 review by Karstoft and colleagues says long-term adherence remains a challenge and real-world studies are still needed.
The 2019 analysis also gives you a dose. Fitness gains rose with weekly fast-walking time up to about 50 minutes, then leveled off. Slow-walking time did not predict improvement. Four sessions put 60 minutes of fast walking in your week.
How to do Japanese walking
- Pick a flat route or a treadmill set to a 1% to 2% incline, which CNN’s sports medicine source says best matches outdoor walking.
- Begin with 3 minutes of slow walking. The 2007 protocol put the slow block first.
- Walk fast for 3 minutes. Take long strides, swing your arms, and go as fast as you can without breaking into a jog.
- Drop to a slow pace for 3 minutes, slow enough to catch your breath and chat comfortably.
- Repeat until you have completed five fast blocks, about 30 minutes in total, on at least four days a week.
- Finish with another 3 minutes of slow walking as a cool-down, a step Brown University Health recommends.
A 4-week starter plan
This ramp adapts Brown University Health’s beginner advice to start with one minute of fast walking. No trial tested it. Fast time rises quicker than the 10% weekly increase Mayo Clinic cites as a general guide, so repeat any week that feels hard.
| Week | Fast / slow blocks | Rounds | Session length | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 min fast / 3 min slow | 7, then 2 min slow | 30 min | 3 |
| 2 | 1.5 min fast / 3 min slow | 6, then 3 min slow | 30 min | 4 |
| 3 | 2 min fast / 3 min slow | 6 | 30 min | 4 |
| 4 | 3 min fast / 3 min slow | 5 | 30 min | 4 |
How fast is fast enough? Talk test and heart rate
The 70% and 40% targets come from lab measurement. The Shinshu group built a portable calorimeter to set them for each walker, and you will not have one. Use effort instead.
Karstoft told The Guardian the fast pace should leave you unable to speak in long sentences, while the slow intervals should be slow enough to recover. People often find it hard to walk slowly enough, he added.
With a heart rate monitor, Brown University Health suggests about 50% to 60% of maximum heart rate for slow blocks and 70% to 80% for fast ones. Mayo Clinic estimates maximum heart rate as 208 minus 0.7 times your age.
For a 50-year-old, that formula gives 173 beats per minute, so the fast range works out to roughly 121 to 138. Percent of maximum heart rate and percent of peak aerobic capacity are different scales, so treat these numbers as approximate.
Japanese walking vs regular walking vs 12-3-30 vs zone 2
| Method | Format | Intensity cue | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese walking | 3 min fast, 3 min slow, about 30 min | Fast blocks near 70% of peak aerobic capacity, slow near 40% | Short on time, ready to push effort without running |
| Regular brisk walking | Steady pace | CDC counts 2.5 mph or faster as moderate; AHA advises 150 minutes a week | Anyone starting out |
| 12-3-30 | Treadmill at 12% incline and 3 mph for 30 min, created by Lauren Giraldo | Set by incline and speed | People with a treadmill who want fixed settings |
| Zone 2 | Steady effort | 60% to 70% of maximum heart rate, per Mayo Clinic Press | Building a base of easy endurance |
The 2007 trial tested interval walking against steady walking and no training. It did not test 12-3-30 or zone 2, so none of these trials ranks them against each other. Our guides to the 12-3-30 treadmill workout and zone 2 cardio cover those methods.
They can share a week. Use our zone 2 heart rate by age guide to set the easy days.
Who should be careful with Japanese walking
Check with a clinician first if any of these apply to you.
- You have heart disease or high blood pressure. Brown University Health advises checking with your primary care provider before any new exercise, especially with a cardiovascular history. Stop if you feel pain.
- You have joint or balance problems. Walking is gentler than running, but the fast blocks add effort. Keep the route flat and stop if a joint hurts.
- You are pregnant. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists lists walking among the safest exercises in pregnancy, advises discussing exercise with your ob-gyn and describes moderate intensity as talking but not singing. The trials used fast blocks above 70% of peak capacity, so ask how hard yours should be.
- You have type 2 diabetes. The small Danish trial and the Japanese pilot, which had no control group, gave different results, so ask your clinician whether it fits your plan.
The method also fails people who are already fit. Karstoft told The Guardian that fitter people would need to jog or run their intervals to get similar benefits.
Common Japanese walking mistakes
- Fast blocks that feel like a stroll. In the 2019 analysis, weekly fast-walking minutes were the main predictor of gains.
- Slow blocks that never slow down. Recovery is what lets the next fast block be hard.
- Going all out in week one. Mayo Clinic says that if you are short of breath or in pain, your intensity is higher than your fitness allows.
- Skipping sessions. The trials asked for four or more days a week for months, and many participants still missed their targets.
- Dropping strength work. Interval walking trained thigh muscles, but the American Heart Association also recommends muscle-strengthening on at least 2 days a week.
Frequently asked questions
Is Japanese walking better than walking 10,000 steps?
The 2007 trial did not test 10,000 steps. Its steady-walking group aimed for 8,000 or more steps a day, and the interval group gained more strength and aerobic capacity. You can combine both by hitting your steps and using intervals on some days.
How long does Japanese walking take to work?
Most trials ran four to five months. In a 2025 study of 48 older adults, systolic blood pressure fell after month two and knee extension strength rose through month three before leveling off. Plan for several months of steady sessions before judging results.
Can Japanese walking help you lose weight?
Results are mixed. The 2013 Danish trial, with 12 people in the interval group, found body mass and fat mass fell only in that group, and Karstoft told The Guardian he has seen 3 to 5 kilograms lost over four to six months. The 2023 Japanese diabetes pilot found no significant body composition change.
Is 30 minutes of Japanese walking enough?
Thirty minutes on five days adds up to the 150 weekly minutes the American Heart Association recommends, while the trials asked for at least four days a week. Add muscle-strengthening on two days a week, since interval walking mainly trains your legs.
Can you do Japanese walking on a treadmill?
Yes. CNN’s sports medicine source suggests a 1% to 2% incline to mimic outdoor walking. It also suits icy days or poorly paved streets. A cardiologist quoted in the same article said outdoors is better when you have the option, because nature helps reduce anxiety.
Sources
- Nemoto K et al., 2007, Mayo Clinic Proceedings: PubMed 17605959
- Masuki S et al., 2019, Mayo Clinic Proceedings: PubMed 31477320
- Karstoft K et al., 2013, Diabetes Care: PubMed 23002086
- Karstoft K et al., 2024, Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism: PubMed 38507778
- Kitajima K et al., 2023, PLoS One: PubMed 37200321
- Kanatani K et al., 2025, Japanese Journal of Geriatrics: PubMed 40582858
- Nose H et al., 2009, The Journal of Physiology: PubMed 19752116
- NHK World, January 15, 2026
- The Guardian, August 9, 2025
- CNN, October 17, 2025
- Brown University Health, November 25, 2025
- Mayo Clinic, exercise intensity
- Mayo Clinic Press, zone 2 cardio
- CDC, measuring intensity
- American Heart Association, activity recommendations
- ACOG, exercise during pregnancy
- Aviron, 12-3-30 workout
