How walkable is Kagoshima?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Kagoshima has a walkability score of 75 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. It is the joint 31st most walkable of the 70 cities ranked in Japan, with 2 others.
What's within walking distance of the centre
3,052 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Kagoshima. The nearest grocery is about 3 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, schools and books & libraries.
Groceries
- Aコープ, 7 min
- タイヨー タイヨー 甲突店, 9 min
Restaurants & bars
- 鹿児島菓子舗・山下, 2 min
- 味とも, 2 min
Shopping
- 高橋商事（株）, 2 min
- セブンイレブン 鹿児島新屋敷町店, 3 min
Coffee
- Scissors Cafe Good, 3 min
- Greatful Days Parts and Cafe, 5 min
Banks
- 三井住友銀行, 8 min
- 日本銀行鹿児島支店, 9 min
Parks
- 甲突川左岸緑地, 2 min
- 甲突川右岸緑地, 4 min
Schools
- 甲東中学校, 6 min
- 鹿児島市立甲南中学校, 10 min
Books & libraries
- Tsutaya甲南通店, 13 min
- ブックオフ鹿児島天文館店, 14 min
Culture & entertainment
- 和風カラオケBar 喜助, 9 min
- イーテラス 10f イースペースホール, 10 min
Measured from the centre at 31.5822, 130.5553, the point near Kagoshima's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the centre there are about 252 street intersections per km², and blocks average 64 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Kagoshima's score of 75 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 98 within 1 km of the centre, 85 from 1 to 3 km out and 65 from 3 to 5 km out. 30 of the 91 points within 5 km fall on water or on land without streets, such as hillsides, forest or farmland, and are left out, so the score describes only the built-up part. 67% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot. Walkability falls off steeply away from the centre, so check a specific address on the map.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Kagoshima. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 97 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 98 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 85 | 90% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 65 | 47% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Miyazaki, Japan | 91 km | 65 |
| Kumamoto, Japan | 139 km | 73 |
| Nagasaki, Japan | 146 km | 51 |
| Kurume, Japan | 195 km | 50 |
| Ōita, Japan | 210 km | 66 |
Questions about walking in Kagoshima
Is Kagoshima a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Kagoshima has a walkability score of 75 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 97. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks joint 31st of 70 cities in Japan and joint 201st of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Japan?
Tokyo is the most walkable of the 70 cities ranked in Japan, with a score of 98. Kagoshima ranks joint 31st with 75.
How does Kagoshima compare with nearby cities?
Kagoshima is more walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 75, against Miyazaki (65, 91 km away), Kumamoto (73, 139 km away) and Nagasaki (51, 146 km away).
Which part of Kagoshima is most walkable?
The streets just around Kagoshima's centre are its most walkable, averaging 98 within 1 km. The centre itself, the point with the most places in walking range, scores 97. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south (averaging 89) and falls most to the north-east (35).
How is Kagoshima's walkability score calculated?
For Kagoshima it is the average of 61 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 41 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
Ask about walking anywhere in ChatGPT with the How Walkable app, for example "How walkable is Kagoshima?"