How do Japanese urban dwellers integrate physical activity into daily logistics?

Walking or cycling to transit, climbing stairs, and standing during commutes

A significant factor in maintaining leanness is the integration of physical activity directly into daily logistics rather than setting aside specific time for isolated workouts. In major urban centers, this manifests as substantial low-intensity, functional movement accumulated throughout the day. This routine frequently involves necessary actions like walking or cycling to access public transportation stations, navigating stairs within those stations, and standing upright during crowded commutes. Cumulatively, these required transit activities can amount to one or two hours of daily movement, contributing significantly to calorie expenditure through non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) without the mental burden of formal exercise.