I think he means in total, as in 1 hour each way. That's not unusual in America these days either. The difference in Japan is that, in Tokyo or other big city, that means sitting on a train most of that time (probably reading a book or looking at your phone), not actively driving.

Japanese commuter trains don't have a ton of seats; there is some bench seating but that's it. So it's possible you might be standing for much of it, which is significantly less comfortable to do activities with.

As someone who did a standing hour-long commute on a subway train for a good portion of my life, I wouldn't really think of it as something desirable.