Free Japanese Walking Timer
Three minutes brisk, three minutes slow, five times over. We will tell you when to switch.
About 70% effort — you can talk, but not comfortably.
Keep this tab open while you walk — browsers stop timers when your phone locks. The Brisk app keeps going in your pocket.
How Japanese walking works
Walk briskly for 3 minutes
Push to roughly 70% of your max effort. Your breathing should be heavy enough that holding a conversation is a little awkward.
Slow down for 3 minutes
Drop to a gentle stroll, about 40% effort, and let your heart rate and breathing recover before the next push.
Repeat five times
Five cycles gets you to 30 minutes. Researchers at Shinshu University found four sessions a week lowered blood pressure and built leg strength in adults over 60.
Where the browser runs out
The timer above does the one thing a web page can do well: it tells you when to switch. Everything that makes the habit stick — walking with your phone away, seeing your pace improve, not losing the walk when you close the tab — needs the app.
Put your phone away and just walk
Brisk runs your intervals in the background, calls out every switch, tracks your distance and pace by GPS, and syncs the whole walk to Apple Health.
orJapanese walking, answered
What is the Japanese walking method?
Japanese walking, properly called interval walking training, alternates three minutes of brisk walking with three minutes of slow walking, repeated five times for a 30-minute session. It was developed by researchers at Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan, and studied in adults over 60.
Is this Japanese walking timer free?
Yes. The timer is completely free, there is no signup, and nothing you do here is stored or sent anywhere. Open the page, press start and walk.
How long should a Japanese walking session be?
The researched protocol is 30 minutes — five cycles of three minutes brisk and three minutes slow — done four or more days a week. If that is too much to begin with, start at two or three cycles and add one each week.
How fast is 'brisk' supposed to be?
Brisk should feel like about 70% of your maximum effort. A useful test: you can still speak, but only in short sentences, and you would rather not. The slow interval should feel easy enough that your breathing settles before the next push.
Can I use this timer with my screen off?
Not reliably. Browsers pause background tabs and stop timers when your phone locks, so this page keeps your screen awake while a walk is running. If you want to put your phone away mid-walk, use the Brisk iOS app, which keeps cueing you in the background and tracks your distance and pace while you walk.
Do I need any equipment?
No. Comfortable shoes and somewhere to walk is the whole list. A route without traffic lights makes it easier to keep the intervals honest.