How walkable is Kitakyushu?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Kitakyushu 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
2,391 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Kitakyushu. The nearest grocery is about a minute away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, parks and schools.
Groceries
- The Big by Aeon, 2 min
- ハローデイ, 6 min
Restaurants & bars
- 出雲そば本店スピナ大手町店, 3 min
- モスバーガー, 3 min
Shopping
- マツモトキヨシ, 3 min
- スピナマート大手町店, 3 min
Coffee
- 喫茶アーベイン, 6 min
- nest木町station, 7 min
Banks
- 西日本シティ銀行南小倉支店, 12 min
- 北九州銀行 三萩野支店, 15 min
Parks
- 原町公園, 5 min
- 大手町公園, 6 min
Schools
- 健和会ひよこの家保育園, 5 min
- 北九州自由高等学院, 8 min
Books & libraries
- TSUTAYA, 9 min
- 北九州市立子ども図書館, 15 min
Culture & entertainment
- 北九州ソレイユホール, 9 min
- 北九州市立大手町練習場, 9 min
Measured from the centre at 33.8751, 130.8666, the point near Kitakyushu'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 163 street intersections per km², and blocks average 76 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Kitakyushu'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 90 within 1 km of the centre, 77 from 1 to 3 km out and 71 from 3 to 5 km out. 28 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. 73% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot.
- 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 Kitakyushu. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 96 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 90 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 77 | 77% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 71 | 63% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Fukuoka, Japan | 49 km | 87 |
| Kurume, Japan | 67 km | 50 |
| Ōita, Japan | 98 km | 66 |
| Kumamoto, Japan | 117 km | 73 |
| Nagasaki, Japan | 152 km | 51 |
Questions about walking in Kitakyushu
Is Kitakyushu a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Kitakyushu 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 96. 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. Kitakyushu ranks joint 31st with 75.
How does Kitakyushu compare with nearby cities?
Kitakyushu sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 75, against Fukuoka (87, 49 km away), Kurume (50, 67 km away) and Ōita (66, 98 km away).
Which part of Kitakyushu is most walkable?
Kitakyushu's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 96. Walkability averages 90 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the north-west (averaging 88) and falls most to the south-west (36).
How is Kitakyushu's walkability score calculated?
For Kitakyushu it is the average of 63 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 46 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.
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