Japanese interval walking for iPhone & Apple WatchNipponWalk: Walk fast.
Walk easy.
Repeat.
Three minutes fast, three minutes easy, five rounds. NipponWalk guides every interval, even with your phone locked and your music playing, so you can focus on walking.
Join the private beta for iPhone
Thursday 15 October
7:42
Next: Easy for 3:00
fast
0:02
easy
2:59
App screens are previews of NipponWalk in development.
01The method
30 minutes.
A different kind of walk.
Japanese walking swaps one steady pace for a rhythm. Push for three minutes, recover for three, and let the alternation do the work. NipponWalk keeps count so you never have to look at a clock.
- 3:00Fast
- Brisk. You can talk, just not easily.
- 3:00Easy
- Relaxed. Let your breathing settle.
- ×5Rounds
- Fast then easy, five times through.
- 30Minutes
- A few days a week. That's the plan.
Voice cue
“Round one. Fast pace, go!”
Spoken over your music, which dips for a moment and comes right back.
Tap any block to jump to that interval.
30 minutes, played in 30 seconds.
Japanese walking, or interval walking training, comes from research at Shinshu University in Japan, where studies with middle-aged and older adults compared it with continuous walking. NipponWalk is an independent app, not affiliated with the university. It's a timer and coach, not medical advice; check with your doctor before starting a new exercise routine. Read the full guide to the method and the research, or try a session now with the free walking timer.
02Hands-free
Your walk.
Not your screen.
Start your walk, lock your phone and put it away. NipponWalk calls out every switch, “Fast pace, go!” and “Easy now,” right on time, while the Lock Screen keeps track for you.
Thursday 15 October
7:42
Next: Easy for 3:00
- 01
On the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island
Fast or easy, the countdown and your round, live at a glance. No unlocking, no app to open.
- 02
Your music keeps playing
Each cue lowers your music for a moment, then brings it right back. Podcasts pause and pick up where they left off.
- 03
On time, in your pocket
Every switch is timed from the clock, not the screen, so it lands when it should with your phone locked.
- 04
Warm-up and cool-down built in
A complete session from the first step to the last, not just the intervals.
03Apple Watch
A gentle tap.
A change of pace.
Send your walk from NipponWalk to the Workout app on Apple Watch. Your wrist taps and chimes the moment it's time to speed up or ease off, so you feel every switch without hearing a word.
Every switch
A tap and a chime, right on time
Heart rate
Live on your wrist, the whole walk
Apple Health
Saved interval by interval
Apple Watch is optional. Watch sessions run in Apple's Workout app, sent from NipponWalk on your iPhone.
fast
0:02
easy
2:59
A little faster.
A little stronger.
The park before work, the long way home. Japanese walking fits the walks you already take: thirty minutes, comfortable shoes, and a pace that changes every three minutes.
04Progress
Every walk
adds up.
Each walk ends with what matters: the rounds you finished and the minutes you walked. Your week shows how often you showed up, your streak counts the days in a row, and every session is saved to Apple Health, fast and easy intervals included.
No leaderboards. No pace to beat.
Just the habit, one walk at a time.
Walk complete
Nicely done.
walked
All 5 rounds, fast and easy
3-day streak. Keep it going tomorrow.
Saved to Apple Health
Done05Why we built NipponWalk
The Japanese walking method is refreshingly simple. Keeping track of the intervals shouldn't interrupt your walk.
Staring at a stopwatch, missing a switch because the screen went dark, a voice talking over your favourite song: small things, but they pull you out of the walk.
So we built NipponWalk to handle the timing. It tells you when to speed up and when to ease off, on time, with your phone in your pocket. All that's left is the walking.
What is Japanese interval walking?
A simple routine: walk briskly for 3 minutes, so you can talk but not easily, then walk at an easy pace for 3 minutes. Repeat five times for about 30 minutes, a few days a week. It comes from interval walking training research at Shinshu University in Japan. Read the guide to the method and the research.
How fast is the fast part?
Brisk enough that talking takes effort, but not a run. In the research, fast walking was set at 70% or more of each person's peak walking capacity and the easy part at about 40%. Without lab testing, “can talk, but not easily” is a practical guide.
Do I need an Apple Watch?
No. Your iPhone guides the whole walk with voice cues and a Live Activity on the Lock Screen. If you have an Apple Watch, NipponWalk can send the session to the Workout app on your wrist, which taps you at every switch and records your heart rate.
Can I use NipponWalk with my phone locked?
Yes, that's the point. Put your phone in your pocket and walk. Cues play on time with the screen off, your music keeps playing, and the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island show where you are in the session.
Is NipponWalk available yet?
Not yet. NipponWalk is in development and has not launched. It is not available on the App Store yet, and the private TestFlight beta has not opened. Join the waitlist to be invited.
How does beta access work?
Join the waitlist with your email. We'll invite walkers to the TestFlight beta in small groups and email you when it's your turn. We only use your address for NipponWalk updates, and you can ask to be removed at any time.
Will it cost anything?
The classic walk, voice cues and the Live Activity will be free. Some extras will be part of an optional upgrade, which we'll explain clearly before launch.
Is it safe for me?
NipponWalk is a timer, not medical advice. Interval walking was studied mainly in healthy middle-aged and older adults. If you have a heart, blood pressure, joint or other health condition, or haven't exercised in a while, check with your doctor first.
What happens to my data?
Health and workout data stays on your iPhone and in Apple Health. We never sell it or send it to analytics. The website stores only your waitlist email. See the privacy policy or email nipponwalk@chuventures.com.
Private beta · iPhone
Walk with
us first.
We're inviting a small group of walkers to try NipponWalk on real walks before launch. Leave your email and we'll send one message when your TestFlight invite is ready.
3 min fast3 min easy5 rounds