How walkable is Okayama?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Okayama has a walkability score of 76 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 25th most walkable of the 70 cities ranked in Japan, with 5 others.
What's within walking distance of the centre
3,331 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Okayama. The nearest grocery is about 2 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, schools and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- 森のマルシェ, 2 min
- 岡山木村屋, 4 min
Restaurants & bars
- 400ﾟC Pizza, 2 min
- お好み焼やよい, 2 min
Shopping
- ソフィール山陽, 3 min
- 田辺の薬局, 3 min
Coffee
- Dean & Deluca Okayama, 2 min
- 合歓, 5 min
Banks
- 阿波銀行岡山支店, 6 min
- 中国銀行岡山市役所出張所, 6 min
Parks
- ハレマチガーデン, 8 min
- 西川緑道公園, 9 min
Schools
- 岡山市立鹿田小学校, 8 min
- 希望高等学園, 8 min
Books & libraries
- 西川アイプラザ, 10 min
- 岡山市立幸町図書館, 10 min
Culture & entertainment
- モーリーファンタジー, 6 min
- レンタルスペースあかつき＠大供1丁目, 7 min
Measured from the centre at 34.6578, 133.9170, the point near Okayama'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 261 street intersections per km², and blocks average 63 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Okayama's score of 76 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 96 within 1 km of the centre, 86 from 1 to 3 km out and 67 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 Okayama. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 98 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 96 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 86 | 87% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 67 | 54% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Kurashiki, Japan | 17 km | 56 |
| Takamatsu, Japan | 37 km | 76 |
| Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan | 55 km | 60 |
| Himeji, Japan | 73 km | 71 |
| Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan | 98 km | 70 |
Questions about walking in Okayama
Is Okayama a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Okayama has a walkability score of 76 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 98. 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 25th of 70 cities in Japan and joint 181st 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. Okayama ranks joint 25th with 76.
How does Okayama compare with nearby cities?
Okayama is at least as walkable as its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 76, against Kurashiki (56, 17 km away), Takamatsu (76, 37 km away) and Fukuyama, Hiroshima (60, 55 km away).
Which part of Okayama is most walkable?
Okayama's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 98. Walkability averages 96 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south (averaging 80) and falls most to the north-west (51).
How is Okayama's walkability score calculated?
For Okayama it is the average of 85 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 59 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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