---
title: "Is Ōtsu walkable? Walkability score 58/100 · How Walkable"
description: "Ōtsu scores 58/100 for walkability (Somewhat Walkable) across its central 5 km. How far walkability reaches, what's near the centre, and its rank in Japan."
url: https://howwalkable.com/cities/japan/otsu
updated: 2026-10-22
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
---

1.  [Cities](https://howwalkable.com/cities)
2.  [Japan](https://howwalkable.com/cities/japan)
3.  Ōtsu

# How walkable is Ōtsu?

By [Oscar Higson-Spence](https://howwalkable.com/about#author). Updated 22 October 2026 

Ōtsu has a walkability score of 58 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 joint 65th most walkable of the 70 cities ranked in Japan, with 1 other.

58 out of 100: Somewhat Walkable

Some errands can be accomplished on foot.

*   #65 of 70 tied, in Japan
*   #484 of 690 tied, worldwide
*   90 at the centre

[Open on the map](https://howwalkable.com/?lat=35.01167&lon=135.86941&q=%C5%8Ctsu%2C%20Japan) 

## What's within walking distance of the centre

701 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Ōtsu. The nearest grocery is about 9 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for restaurants & bars, coffee, parks, schools and culture & entertainment.

### Groceries

2.2 of 3 points

*   おひさま堂ほんぽ, 9 min
*   フレスコ 大津店, 9 min
*   九重商店, 9 min

### Restaurants & bars

3.0 of 3 points

*   レストラン ザ・ガーデン, 3 min
*   Bel Lago, 3 min
*   鉄板おおみ, 3 min

### Shopping

1.8 of 2 points

*   湖の駅 浜大津, 4 min
*   ローソン, 7 min
*   水野古美術店, 8 min

### Coffee

2.0 of 2 points

*   マドカフェ, 4 min
*   喫茶店, 5 min
*   BirdCafe, 5 min

### Banks

0.9 of 1 point

*   みずほ銀行大津支店, 7 min
*   関西みらい銀行 びわこ営業部, 9 min
*   ゆうちょ銀行大津店, 12 min

### Parks

1.0 of 1 point

*   大津湖岸なぎさ公園, 3 min
*   呼次松児童公園, 16 min
*   尾花川公園, 16 min

### Schools

0.9 of 1 point

*   大津市立中央小学校, 7 min
*   大津市立大津幼稚園, 7 min
*   TAMランド 打出浜なぎさ園, 14 min

### Books & libraries

0.7 of 1 point

*   大津市立図書館, 10 min
*   沢五車堂, 11 min
*   刃物や三省堂, 13 min

### Culture & entertainment

1.0 of 1 point

*   大津市民会館, 4 min
*   大津アレックスシネマ, 4 min
*   旧大津公会堂, 7 min

Measured from the centre at 35.0117, 135.8694, the point near Ōtsu'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 80 street intersections per km², and blocks average 64 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.

## How far walkability reaches

Ōtsu's score of 58 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 94 within 1 km of the centre, 63 from 1 to 3 km out and 50 from 3 to 5 km out. 47 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. 48% 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.

![Walkability scores across the 5 km around central Ōtsu, one hexagon per square kilometre. 47% of points score 70 or more; the lowest, 0, is 4 km to the north-east.](https://howwalkable.com/maps/japan/otsu.svg?v=386e586e0bfc)

Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Ōtsu. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.

| Area          | Score | Scoring 70+ | Points sampled |
| ------------- | ----- | ----------- | -------------- |
| Centre        | 90    | 100%        | 1              |
| Within 1 km   | 94    | 100%        | 4              |
| 1 to 3 km out | 63    | 57%         | 14             |
| 3 to 5 km out | 50    | 35%         | 26             |

## Nearby cities

| City                                        | Distance | Score |
| ------------------------------------------- | -------- | ----- |
| [Kyoto](https://howwalkable.com/cities/japan/kyoto), Japan         | 11 km    | 88    |
| [Takatsuki](https://howwalkable.com/cities/japan/takatsuki), Japan | 28 km    | 75    |
| [Hirakata](https://howwalkable.com/cities/japan/hirakata), Japan   | 29 km    | 76    |
| [Nara](https://howwalkable.com/cities/japan/nara), Japan           | 36 km    | 64    |
| [Toyonaka](https://howwalkable.com/cities/japan/toyonaka), Japan   | 44 km    | 85    |

## Questions about walking in Ōtsu

### Is Ōtsu a walkable city?

Partly. Ōtsu has a walkability score of 58 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 90. 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 65th of 70 cities in Japan and joint 484th 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. Ōtsu ranks joint 65th with 58.

### How does Ōtsu compare with nearby cities?

Ōtsu is less walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 58, against Kyoto (88, 11 km away), Takatsuki (75, 28 km away) and Hirakata (76, 29 km away).

### Which part of Ōtsu is most walkable?

The streets just around Ōtsu's centre are its most walkable, averaging 94 within 1 km. The centre itself, the point with the most places in walking range, scores 90. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south-east (averaging 87) and falls most to the west (8).

### How is Ōtsu's walkability score calculated?

For Ōtsu it is the average of 44 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 21 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](https://howwalkable.com/methodology). Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.

Ask about walking anywhere in ChatGPT with the [How Walkable app](https://chatgpt.com/plugins/plugin_asdk_app_6accc634bcf8819189c1bcaf0e227f0f), for example "How walkable is Ōtsu?"

Scores, rankings and text by How Walkable (https://howwalkable.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit How Walkable and link to this page when reusing them.