How walkable is Utsunomiya?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Utsunomiya has a walkability score of 73 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 36th most walkable of the 70 cities ranked in Japan, with 2 others.
What's within walking distance of the centre
2,226 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Utsunomiya. The nearest grocery is about 2 minutes away on foot. Every category earns full or nearly full points.
Groceries
- ぼった焼き 恵比寿, 4 min
- ヤオコー トナリエ宇都宮店, 4 min
Restaurants & bars
- 麺屋みや田, 1 min
- 串カツ田中宇都宮西口店, 1 min
Shopping
- 松井精肉店, 1 min
- スマホ修理のガジェットクリニック宇都宮駅西口大通り店, 1 min
Coffee
- 茶房 越路 さいかち庵, 4 min
- カフェ&ダイニング リモリモ, 4 min
Banks
- 栃木銀行宇都宮駅前支店, 2 min
- 群馬銀行宇都宮支店, 7 min
Parks
- 今泉公園, 11 min
- 宇都宮城址公園, 14 min
Schools
- 宇都宮市立簗瀬小学校, 8 min
- 宇都宮市立旭中学校, 10 min
Books & libraries
- ヴィレッジヴァンガード, 5 min
- 八重洲ブックセンター宇都宮パセオ, 5 min
Culture & entertainment
- Oya Stone Museum, 4 min
- 宇都宮 オリオン通り ヒカリ座, 5 min
Measured from the centre at 36.5589, 139.8945, the point near Utsunomiya'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 226 street intersections per km², and blocks average 66 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Utsunomiya's score of 73 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 95 within 1 km of the centre, 85 from 1 to 3 km out and 63 from 3 to 5 km out. 67% 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 Utsunomiya. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 100 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 95 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 85 | 87% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 63 | 51% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Maebashi, Japan | 74 km | 66 |
| Koshigaya, Japan | 76 km | 70 |
| Saitama, Japan | 76 km | 79 |
| Kashiwa, Japan | 79 km | 77 |
| Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan | 82 km | 58 |
Questions about walking in Utsunomiya
Is Utsunomiya a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Utsunomiya has a walkability score of 73 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 100. 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 36th of 70 cities in Japan and joint 240th 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. Utsunomiya ranks joint 36th with 73.
How does Utsunomiya compare with nearby cities?
Utsunomiya sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 73, against Maebashi (66, 74 km away), Koshigaya (70, 76 km away) and Saitama (79, 76 km away).
Which part of Utsunomiya is most walkable?
Utsunomiya's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 100. Walkability averages 95 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the west (averaging 82) and falls most to the south (42).
How is Utsunomiya's walkability score calculated?
For Utsunomiya it is the average of 90 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 60 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.
Ask about walking anywhere in ChatGPT with the How Walkable app, for example "How walkable is Utsunomiya?"