How walkable is Wakayama?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Wakayama has a walkability score of 66 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 51st most walkable of the 70 cities ranked in Japan, with 4 others.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,736 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Wakayama. The nearest grocery is about a minute away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, parks, schools and books & libraries.
Groceries
- エバグリーン 広瀬店, 3 min
- きよし商店本店, 6 min
Restaurants & bars
- ほっともっと, 1 min
- かっぱ寿司和歌山店, 2 min
Shopping
- おぶつだんの佐倉 和歌山店, 2 min
- オークワヒラマツ城東店, 2 min
Coffee
- 珈琲屋サン, 3 min
- 木古里, 7 min
Banks
- 三井住友銀行, 9 min
- ゆうちょ銀行 和歌山店, 14 min
Parks
- 新南木広公園, 7 min
- 岡公園, 10 min
Schools
- 和歌山信愛中学校高等学校, 9 min
- 和歌山市立城東中学校, 9 min
Books & libraries
- アミーゴ書店, 10 min
- 宮脇書店ロイネット和歌山店, 17 min
Culture & entertainment
- 和歌山カラオケほーる「光ちゃん」, 9 min
- 和歌山 museum cafe vintage, 12 min
Measured from the centre at 34.2256, 135.1830, the point near Wakayama'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 235 street intersections per km², and blocks average 65 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Wakayama's score of 66 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 93 within 1 km of the centre, 80 from 1 to 3 km out and 53 from 3 to 5 km out. 56% 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 Wakayama. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 97 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 93 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 80 | 83% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 53 | 33% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Sakai, Japan | 48 km | 82 |
| Akashi, Hyōgo, Japan | 49 km | 70 |
| Kobe, Japan | 51 km | 69 |
| Nishinomiya, Japan | 56 km | 82 |
| Amagasaki, Japan | 58 km | 80 |
Questions about walking in Wakayama
Is Wakayama a walkable city?
Partly. Wakayama has a walkability score of 66 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 97. 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 51st of 70 cities in Japan and joint 354th 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. Wakayama ranks joint 51st with 66.
How does Wakayama compare with nearby cities?
Wakayama is less walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 66, against Sakai (82, 48 km away), Akashi, Hyōgo (70, 49 km away) and Kobe (69, 51 km away).
Which part of Wakayama is most walkable?
Wakayama's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 97. Walkability averages 93 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south (averaging 85) and falls most to the south-east (38).
How is Wakayama's walkability score calculated?
For Wakayama it is the average of 82 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 46 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 Wakayama?"