What Is Japanese Walking? Japanese walking involves alternating three minutes of fast walking and three minutes of slower walking for 30 minutes, four days a week. [2] A Japanese study of this technique, published in 2007, gave the method the “Japanese walking” moniker. “Fast walking” means moving at about 70 percent of your maximum effort, whereas slow walking is 40 percent effort, says Lindsy Jackson, DPT, PT, a physical therapist and owner of Movement Managed in Littleton, New Hampshire. But if you don’t have a fitness tracker, there are other ways to ensure that you’re walking briskly.