How walkable is Saitama?
Saitama has a walkability score of 79 out of 100 around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. It is the 12th most walkable of 12 cities ranked in Japan.
What's within walking distance
236 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Saitama. The nearest grocery is ヤクルト埼玉東部ヤクルト 販売東新井センター, about 2 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, shopping, parks and books & libraries. It is weakest for culture & entertainment.
- ヤクルト埼玉東部ヤクルト 販売東新井センター150 m · 2 min
- マルヤ東新井店240 m · 3 min
- イトーヨーカドー大宮店540 m · 7 min
- リバーサイドファーム510 m · 6 min
- 山田うどん 大宮中川店780 m · 10 min
- らぁめん大王810 m · 10 min
- セブンイレブン さいたま御蔵南店190 m · 2 min
- セブンイレブンさいたま御蔵南店540 m · 7 min
- ドラッグストア セキ御蔵店550 m · 7 min
- cafe de lafet470 m · 6 min
- コメダ珈琲店 大宮南中野店900 m · 11 min
- エソラ1.0 km · 13 min
- さいたま農業協同組合（ＪＡさいたま） 大宮東支店920 m · 12 min
- 武蔵野銀行950 m · 12 min
- 埼玉縣信用金庫 片柳支店1.2 km · 16 min
- 鎌倉公園80 m · 1 min
- 東新井団地（1）調整池310 m · 4 min
- 海老沼南公園380 m · 5 min
- さいたま市立海老沼小学校990 m · 12 min
- 片柳中学校1.0 km · 13 min
- さいたま市立片柳小学校1.2 km · 15 min
- さいたま市西部図書館540 m · 7 min
- ブックオフ大宮中川店690 m · 9 min
- サロン オリーブ1.6 km · 20 min
- みぬま見聞館2.0 km · 26 min
- さいたま市立浦和博物館2.3 km · 29 min
Measured from the representative point at 35.9036, 139.6662. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the representative point there are about 157 street intersections per km², and blocks average 73 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 69 to 98, and Saitama's score of 79 is their median.
| Point | Score | Map |
|---|---|---|
| City centre | 98 | Map |
| 1 km north | 74 | Map |
| 1 km east-northeast | 85 | Map |
| 1 km east-southeast | 79 | Map |
| 1 km south | 69 | Map |
| 1 km west-southwest | 72 | Map |
| 1 km west-northwest | 80 | Map |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo, Japan | 25 km | 99 |
| Kawasaki, Japan | 43 km | 91 |
| Yokohama, Japan | 53 km | 94 |
| Nagoya, Japan | 262 km | 97 |
| Sendai, Japan | 284 km | 99 |
Questions about walking in Saitama
Is Saitama a walkable city?
Yes. Central Saitama has a walkability score of 79 out of 100, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. It ranks 12th of 12 cities in Japan and 211th 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. Saitama ranks 12th with 79.
How does Saitama compare with nearby cities?
Saitama is less walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: Saitama scores 79, against Tokyo (99, 25 km away), Kawasaki (91, 43 km away) and Yokohama (94, 53 km away).
How is Saitama'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 Saitama 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.