How walkable is Kyoto?
Kyoto 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 5th most walkable of 12 cities ranked in Japan.
What's within walking distance
7,561 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Kyoto. The nearest grocery is Tazz タズ, about a minute away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, parks, schools, books & libraries and culture & entertainment.
- Tazz タズ40 m · 1 min
- 京都小川生薬 2階 レストラン50 m · 1 min
- ごまの専門店ふかほり150 m · 2 min
- 二条城 ふる田10 m · 1 min
- タベルトマル二条城60 m · 1 min
- Chinon60 m · 1 min
- セブン-イレブン京都小川御池店130 m · 2 min
- サイクルショップエイリン 御池店180 m · 2 min
- 一杢ショップ200 m · 3 min
- DECO Cafe Pararel World140 m · 2 min
- 兎珈琲200 m · 3 min
- 離宮庵210 m · 3 min
- 南都銀行690 m · 9 min
- 京都信用金庫 丸太町支店780 m · 10 min
- みずほ銀行京都中央支店840 m · 10 min
- Unnamed park250 m · 3 min
- 夷川公園410 m · 5 min
- 三条大宮公園790 m · 10 min
- 京都市立京都堀川音楽高校110 m · 1 min
- ひまわり幼稚園640 m · 8 min
- 駿台予備学校京都校710 m · 9 min
- ヴィレッジヴァンガード京都三条530 m · 7 min
- 森晴進堂書店540 m · 7 min
- Ogaki Bookstore Kotochika Oike650 m · 8 min
- nano180 m · 2 min
- Live&salon 夜想180 m · 2 min
- 夜想200 m · 3 min
Measured from the representative point at 35.0121, 135.7538. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the representative point there are about 108 street intersections per km², and blocks average 99 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 82 to 99, and Kyoto's score of 98 is their median.
| Point | Score | Map |
|---|---|---|
| City centre | 99 | Map |
| 1 km north | 96 | Map |
| 1 km east-northeast | 82 | Map |
| 1 km east-southeast | 98 | Map |
| 1 km south | 98 | Map |
| 1 km west-southwest | 98 | Map |
| 1 km west-northwest | 99 | Map |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Osaka, Japan | 43 km | 99 |
| Kobe, Japan | 64 km | 98 |
| Nagoya, Japan | 106 km | 97 |
| Hiroshima, Japan | 310 km | 98 |
| Yokohama, Japan | 357 km | 94 |
Questions about walking in Kyoto
Is Kyoto a walkable city?
Yes. Central Kyoto 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 5th of 12 cities in Japan and 54th 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. Kyoto ranks 5th with 98.
How does Kyoto compare with nearby cities?
Kyoto sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: Kyoto scores 98, against Osaka (99, 43 km away), Kobe (98, 64 km away) and Nagoya (97, 106 km away).
How is Kyoto'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 Kyoto 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.