How walkable is Kobe?
Kobe has a walkability score of 98 out of 100 around its centre, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It is the 6th most walkable of 12 cities ranked in Japan.
What's within walking distance
6,457 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Kobe. The nearest grocery is イオンスタイルumie, about 5 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, books & libraries and culture & entertainment.
- イオンスタイルumie440 m · 5 min
- わくわく広場 神戸ハーバーランドumie店460 m · 6 min
- 西元町コロッケ600 m · 7 min
- 神戸はなあん ハーバーランド店90 m · 1 min
- Teppan-yaki Kokoro120 m · 2 min
- ラウンジ&バー グラン・ブルー140 m · 2 min
- コーナンハーバーランド店90 m · 1 min
- ダイソー ホームセンターコーナン ハーバーランド店110 m · 1 min
- isle230 m · 3 min
- CAFE&Bar Blume80 m · 1 min
- ハトヤ喫茶店240 m · 3 min
- マドカ250 m · 3 min
- ゆうちょ銀行 神戸店（大阪支店神戸営業所）210 m · 3 min
- トマト銀行 神戸支店400 m · 5 min
- 日本政策金融公庫神戸支店中小企業事業460 m · 6 min
- メリケンパーク500 m · 6 min
- ハーバーランド公園740 m · 9 min
- 花隈公園770 m · 10 min
- 神戸フリースクール660 m · 8 min
- 神戸看護受験セミナー680 m · 8 min
- TicTac Nursery780 m · 10 min
- Kobe Design University310 m · 4 min
- Kobe Women's Junior College310 m · 4 min
- Kobe City University of Foreign Studies310 m · 4 min
- Wメリケン波止場20 m · 1 min
- James Blues Land190 m · 2 min
- ハーバーホール270 m · 3 min
Measured from the representative point at 34.6823, 135.1830. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the representative point there are about 218 street intersections per km², and blocks average 61 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
Walkability around the centre
Scores at seven points within 1 km of the centre range from 74 to 99, and Kobe's score of 98 is their median.
| Point | Score | Map |
|---|---|---|
| City centre | 99 | Map |
| 1 km north | 79 | Map |
| 1 km east-northeast | 99 | Map |
| 1 km east-southeast | 99 | Map |
| 1 km south | 98 | Map |
| 1 km west-southwest | 94 | Map |
| 1 km west-northwest | 74 | Map |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Osaka, Japan | 29 km | 99 |
| Kyoto, Japan | 64 km | 98 |
| Nagoya, Japan | 166 km | 97 |
| Hiroshima, Japan | 253 km | 98 |
| Yokohama, Japan | 415 km | 94 |
Questions about walking in Kobe
Is Kobe a walkable city?
Yes. Central Kobe has a walkability score of 98 out of 100, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It ranks 6th of 12 cities in Japan and 58th of 252 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Japan?
Osaka is the most walkable of the 12 cities ranked in Japan, with a score of 99. Kobe ranks 6th with 98.
How does Kobe compare with nearby cities?
Kobe sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: Kobe scores 98, against Osaka (99, 29 km away), Kyoto (98, 64 km away) and Nagoya (97, 166 km away).
How is Kobe's walkability score calculated?
The score counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and deducts up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long. For Kobe it is the median of seven points within 1 km of the city centre, using open map data from Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.
Scores follow a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. City position and population from GeoNames.