How walkable is Niigata?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Niigata has a walkability score of 77 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 23rd most walkable of the 70 cities ranked in Japan, with 1 other.
What's within walking distance of the centre
2,541 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Niigata. The nearest grocery is about 4 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, parks, books & libraries and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- イオンラブラ万代店, 7 min
- イトーヨーカドー 丸大新潟店, 12 min
Restaurants & bars
- Pain Cafe Chere de NST, 2 min
- やすらぎガーデン2025（Yasuragi Garden 2025）, 3 min
Shopping
- さやか薬局 万代店, 1 min
- Spick & Span 新潟店, 1 min
Coffee
- PIQ NIQ ”River Side Cafe & BBQ Garden”, 3 min
- Juice Tech+, 3 min
Banks
- 日本政策金融公庫新潟支店, 9 min
- 秋田銀行新潟支店, 9 min
Parks
- やすらぎ堤左岸, 6 min
- 弁天公園, 7 min
Schools
- クロスパルにいがた, 14 min
- 宮浦中学校, 14 min
Books & libraries
- ブックオフ新潟南万代店, 4 min
- 紀伊國屋書店, 7 min
Culture & entertainment
- 新潟市マンガ・アニメ情報館, 3 min
- Ｔ・ジョイ 新潟万代, 3 min
Measured from the centre at 37.9148, 139.0526, the point near Niigata'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 183 street intersections per km², and blocks average 65 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Niigata's score of 77 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 97 within 1 km of the centre, 83 from 1 to 3 km out and 68 from 3 to 5 km out. 26 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. 71% 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 Niigata. 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 | 97 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 83 | 88% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 68 | 53% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Kōriyama, Japan | 132 km | 61 |
| Nagano, Japan | 161 km | 63 |
| Sendai, Japan | 164 km | 79 |
| Utsunomiya, Japan | 168 km | 73 |
| Maebashi, Japan | 170 km | 66 |
Questions about walking in Niigata
Is Niigata a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Niigata has a walkability score of 77 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 23rd of 70 cities in Japan and joint 170th 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. Niigata ranks joint 23rd with 77.
How does Niigata compare with nearby cities?
Niigata sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 77, against Kōriyama (61, 132 km away), Nagano (63, 161 km away) and Sendai (79, 164 km away).
Which part of Niigata is most walkable?
The streets just around Niigata's centre are its most walkable, averaging 97 within 1 km. The centre itself, the point with the most places in walking range, scores 96. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the east (averaging 80) and falls most to the south (50).
How is Niigata's walkability score calculated?
For Niigata it is the average of 65 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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