In 2025 and early 2026, many people started talking about “Japanese walking.” PureGym’s 2025/26 UK Fitness Report says it is expected to be the fastest-growing fitness trend for 2026, with online interest up 2,968%. The Washington Post also reported that the method got new attention after going viral on TikTok in 2025. (puregym.com)
Japanese walking is also called interval walking. It began in research at Shinshu University in Japan. The idea is very simple: walk fast for 3 minutes, then walk slowly for 3 minutes, and repeat. Shinshu University says the fast part should feel “quite hard,” and people can aim for 15 minutes or more a day, 4 or more days a week. In the famous 2007 Mayo Clinic Proceedings study, the high-intensity group did 5 or more sets of this 3-minute slow and 3-minute fast pattern. (shinshu-u.ac.jp)
Why do people like it? One reason is that it is easy to understand. You do not need a gym, and you do not need special equipment. Another reason is that the science is strong. In the 2007 study, 246 middle-aged and older adults joined a 5-month program. The interval walking group improved thigh muscle strength and aerobic capacity more than the regular walking group, and their resting systolic blood pressure also went down more. Shinshu University later said that doing this training for 5 months can improve physical fitness by up to 20%. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Newer research gives more good news. In a 2024 study introduced by Shinshu University in April 2025, 234 postmenopausal women did interval walking. The study found better bone mineral density in women who started with lower bone density. So this walking style may help bones as well as the heart and muscles. That is a big reason this Japanese idea is now popular in many countries: it is simple, low-cost, and backed by real research. (shinshu-u.ac.jp)










