Have you heard of Japanese walking? It sounds new, but the method is not new. In 2025 and 2026, it became a big topic online and in English-language fitness media, and PureGym’s 2025/26 report called it the fastest-growing fitness trend for 2026. (puregym.com)
Japanese walking is also called interval walking training, or IWT. It was developed by Hiroshi Nose and Shizue Masuki at Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan. The basic idea is very simple. You walk fast for three minutes. Then you walk slowly for three minutes. You repeat that pattern for about 30 minutes. In the main studies, people did this four or more days each week. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Why do people like it? Because it is simple, and the science behind it is strong. In a 2007 study, adults around age 63 did either steady walking or this fast-slow walking. After five months, the interval walking group showed bigger gains in leg strength and fitness, and a bigger drop in blood pressure, than the steady walking group. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
A later study looked at 679 people. It found that the fast parts really matter. The benefits kept rising until people reached about 50 minutes of fast walking per week. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
So here is the nice part. You do not need special equipment. You do not need to run. You just change your speed: fast, then slow, fast, then slow. Maybe that is why this Japanese style of walking is getting so much attention around the world now. (shinshu-u.ac.jp)










