How walkable is Kumamoto?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Kumamoto has a walkability score of 73 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 36th most walkable of the 70 cities ranked in Japan, with 2 others.
What's within walking distance of the centre
3,221 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Kumamoto. The nearest grocery is about 4 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- カレーハウス ロータス, 7 min
- ぎょうざの丸岡 熊本店, 8 min
Restaurants & bars
- らーめん 白川, 2 min
- レストラン楷の樹, 3 min
Shopping
- ファミリーマート, 2 min
- セブンイレブン 熊本大学医学部附属病院店, 3 min
Coffee
- タリーズコーヒー 熊本大学医学部付属病院店, 4 min
- サンテ, 4 min
Banks
- 肥後銀行, 7 min
- 肥後銀行 大江支店, 8 min
Parks
- 井出の口公園, 5 min
- 蓮政寺公園, 7 min
Schools
- 勇志国際高等学校熊本学習センター, 7 min
- 熊本市立北部中学校, 7 min
Books & libraries
- キリスト教書店ハレルヤ, 7 min
- TSUTAYA, 7 min
Culture & entertainment
- 肥後の里山ギャラリー, 7 min
- カラオケClub Dam 熊本戸島店, 7 min
Measured from the centre at 32.7981, 130.7132, the point near Kumamoto'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 189 street intersections per km², and blocks average 71 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Kumamoto's score of 73 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 62 from 3 to 5 km out. 69% 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 Kumamoto. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 99 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 98 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 85 | 90% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 62 | 52% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Kurume, Japan | 59 km | 50 |
| Nagasaki, Japan | 76 km | 51 |
| Fukuoka, Japan | 92 km | 87 |
| Ōita, Japan | 97 km | 66 |
| Kitakyushu, Japan | 117 km | 75 |
Questions about walking in Kumamoto
Is Kumamoto a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Kumamoto has a walkability score of 73 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 99. 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 36th of 70 cities in Japan and joint 240th 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. Kumamoto ranks joint 36th with 73.
How does Kumamoto compare with nearby cities?
Kumamoto sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 73, against Kurume (50, 59 km away), Nagasaki (51, 76 km away) and Fukuoka (87, 92 km away).
Which part of Kumamoto is most walkable?
Kumamoto's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 99. Walkability averages 98 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the east (averaging 91) and falls most to the west (42).
How is Kumamoto's walkability score calculated?
For Kumamoto it is the average of 89 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 61 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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