How walkable is Sendai?
Sendai has a walkability score of 99 out of 100 around its centre, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It is the 3rd most walkable of 12 cities ranked in Japan.
What's within walking distance
5,621 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Sendai. The nearest grocery is イオンエクスプレス仙台上杉三丁目店, about 3 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
- イオンエクスプレス仙台上杉三丁目店220 m · 3 min
- 北一米穀店300 m · 4 min
- Coop Nishikicho460 m · 6 min
- 和寮真木160 m · 2 min
- ホルモン焼肉 ガッ!!ちゃん 上杉店160 m · 2 min
- REnatre レナトル190 m · 2 min
- Lawson (ローソン 仙台青葉上杉三丁目店)50 m · 1 min
- つばさ薬局 上杉店80 m · 1 min
- ローソン110 m · 1 min
- Patisserie Epice90 m · 1 min
- すずめ屋カフェ160 m · 2 min
- COFFEE CANTUS220 m · 3 min
- 七十七銀行上杉支店460 m · 6 min
- 仙台農業協同組合（ＪＡ仙台） 上杉支店590 m · 7 min
- 農林中央金庫仙台支店590 m · 7 min
- 上杉公園330 m · 4 min
- 勝山公園440 m · 5 min
- 錦町公園640 m · 8 min
- 仙台市立上杉山通小学校330 m · 4 min
- Kids Duo 上杉・長町・榴岡520 m · 7 min
- 蔵王町立宮小学校650 m · 8 min
- Tohoku Institute of Technology430 m · 5 min
- 未来屋書店840 m · 11 min
- ヤマト屋書店仙台三越店1.0 km · 13 min
- Jazz Me Blues480 m · 6 min
- N-oval音楽サロン480 m · 6 min
- 仙台フィルハーモニー管弦楽団530 m · 7 min
Measured from the representative point at 38.2712, 140.8766. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the representative point there are about 126 street intersections per km², and blocks average 86 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 75 to 100, and Sendai's score of 99 is their median.
| Point | Score | Map |
|---|---|---|
| City centre | 100 | Map |
| 1 km north | 97 | Map |
| 1 km east-northeast | 99 | Map |
| 1 km east-southeast | 99 | Map |
| 1 km south | 99 | Map |
| 1 km west-southwest | 75 | Map |
| 1 km west-northwest | 95 | Map |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saitama, Japan | 284 km | 79 |
| Tokyo, Japan | 305 km | 99 |
| Kawasaki, Japan | 322 km | 91 |
| Yokohama, Japan | 334 km | 94 |
| Nagoya, Japan | 493 km | 97 |
Questions about walking in Sendai
Is Sendai a walkable city?
Yes. Central Sendai has a walkability score of 99 out of 100, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It ranks 3rd of 12 cities in Japan and 39th 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. Sendai ranks 3rd with 99.
How does Sendai compare with nearby cities?
Sendai is at least as walkable as its nearest ranked neighbours: Sendai scores 99, against Saitama (79, 284 km away), Tokyo (99, 305 km away) and Kawasaki (91, 322 km away).
How is Sendai'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 Sendai 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.