How walkable is Nagano?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Nagano has a walkability score of 63 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. It is the 60th most walkable of the 70 cities ranked in Japan.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,676 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Nagano. The nearest grocery is about 7 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for restaurants & bars, shopping, banks, parks, schools and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- イーストア居町店, 8 min
- 久世福商店, 13 min
Restaurants & bars
- Ｂｉｓｔｒｏ Ｌｉｂｅｒｔｙ, 2 min
- 煮干しらーめん専門店 麺屋 晴, 3 min
Shopping
- セブン-イレブン, 5 min
- 吉田薬業(株) いまち薬局, 5 min
Coffee
- ノース サウス イースト ウェスト, 7 min
- ゴーシュ, 8 min
Banks
- 八十二銀行 七瀬支店, 8 min
- 三井住友銀行, 8 min
Parks
- 七瀬西公園, 8 min
- 長野駅東口公園, 10 min
Schools
- ちいきの保育園 みらいく, 6 min
- 秋葉保育園, 10 min
Books & libraries
- 筑北村図書館, 12 min
- 平安堂長野店, 12 min
Culture & entertainment
- 長野ボーカルアカデミー, 5 min
- ミュージックハウス花の木, 10 min
Measured from the centre at 36.6461, 138.1973, the point near Nagano'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 164 street intersections per km², and blocks average 75 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Nagano's score of 63 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 92 within 1 km of the centre, 75 from 1 to 3 km out and 50 from 3 to 5 km out. 17 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. 53% 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 Nagano. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 94 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 92 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 75 | 76% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 50 | 31% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Takasaki, Japan | 82 km | 69 |
| Maebashi, Japan | 85 km | 66 |
| Toyama, Japan | 86 km | 67 |
| Kanazawa, Japan | 140 km | 80 |
| Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan | 143 km | 58 |
Questions about walking in Nagano
Is Nagano a walkable city?
Partly. Nagano has a walkability score of 63 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it somewhat walkable: some errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 94. 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 60th of 70 cities in Japan and joint 408th 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. Nagano ranks 60th with 63.
How does Nagano compare with nearby cities?
Nagano is less walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 63, against Takasaki (69, 82 km away), Maebashi (66, 85 km away) and Toyama (67, 86 km away).
Which part of Nagano is most walkable?
Nagano's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 94. Walkability averages 92 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the north-east (averaging 79) and falls most to the north-west (12).
How is Nagano's walkability score calculated?
For Nagano it is the average of 74 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 39 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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