Family goals for 2022: The 1000 Hours Outside project

Since the end of the year is basically upon us, I've started turning my mind to goals that I want to focus on for 2022. One that I have in mind for our family as a whole is the 1000 hours outside project, which is something I've seen a lot of on social media but haven't yet incorporated.

The concept is fairly simple - the goal is to spend 1000 hours across the course of a year outside, which equates to about 2 hours and 45 minutes daily. The benefits of outdoor play and activities for children have been studied in detail, and there are clear correlations between more outdoor time and overall health. I’m definitely going to give it a try for 2022, but there are certainly some things to consider when it comes to implementing it.

The easy points

I feel like in the countryside of Japan it’s quite easy to spend time outdoors, especially in comparison to when we lived in Tokyo. We have a great, spacious park with play equipment, paths, and wide open space just ten minutes on foot from home, plus a smaller neighborhood park even closer than that. We can go for long walks around our neighborhood and rarely encounter a car, and when we do they drive cautiously when our children are on bikes - it’s something that we greatly appreciate! Nature has been our primary way of occupying our time since living here, and whilst reaching 1000 hours outside across the course of the year will require some deliberate planning, I definitely think it’s achievable.

The challenges

The weather here isn't always the most amenable to being outside for long stretches -- hot, humid summers and long snowy winters spring to mind right away. However, I think it's manageable as long as we plan appropriate activities. For instance, water play at the river during summer, and bundling up for snow play in the winter are two examples. I like the Scandinavian quote in this regard -- there's no bad weather, only bad clothing! I do think that during spring and autumn it would be easier to spend more time per day outside, so that’s something to consider.

The snow season here is beautiful, without a doubt, but it's not the easiest to be outside in for long periods of time. Still doable, just requires a bit more planning!

There’s also the challenge of the day-to-day life responsibilities that impede on our outdoor free time. With school aged children, we have various commitments, their homework, our own jobs and studies, house chores -- the list goes on. Sometimes it can feel easier to say “let’s just stay inside and watch a movie”, but I do think we all feel better when we’ve had some outdoor time!

Have you heard of the 1000 hours outside project? How easy - or difficult - do you think the concept would be to incorporate into your family life in Japan?