Japanese walking repeats 3 minutes fast and 3 minutes easy. Five sets take 30 minutes.
What the 2007 trial actually did
Nemoto and colleagues published the trial in Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2007, volume 82, issue 7, pages 803–811 (https://doi.org/10.4065/82.7.803). The fast walk was about 70% or more of each person's peak aerobic capacity. The easy walk was about 40%.
Who took part, and how often
The participants were middle-aged and older adults, with an average age of 63. The program was at least five sets a day on four days a week.
This was not a 100-step rule
Do not read 100 steps per minute as the speed from this study. The fast minutes were a personal effort, about 70% or more of peak aerobic capacity, not one cadence for every walker.
How to time the 30 minutes
The Japanese walking timer runs 3 minutes fast and 3 minutes easy for five sets. StepDay's guided walk is the same 3/3 × 5. You do not need a watch to follow it.
Common questions
How long are five sets?
Each set is 3 minutes fast and 3 minutes easy, so five sets take 30 minutes.
Did the study tell people to walk at 100 steps per minute?
No. In Nemoto and colleagues, 2007, the fast walk was about 70% or more of peak aerobic capacity, and the easy walk was about 40%. One hundred steps per minute is not the speed from that trial.
Who was in the trial?
Middle-aged and older adults, average age 63. They did at least five sets a day on four days a week. Source: Nemoto et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2007, 82(7):803–811, https://doi.org/10.4065/82.7.803.