When you’re working through every airport in Japan, access costs add up. The cheapest way to get to an airport is on foot. I looked up the walking time from all 100 Japanese airports to their nearest train station using Google Maps.
This is a desk survey — I haven’t walked every route in person. I selected the nearest-looking station manually, so there may be gaps.
If you do walk, research thoroughly in advance. Don’t miss your flight, get lost, or get stranded.
Rank 1: Airports with Direct Rail Access (11 airports)
| Airport | Nearest Station |
|---|---|
| New Chitose | Chitose Line, New Chitose Airport Station |
| Sendai | Sendai Airport Railway, Sendai Airport Station |
| Narita International | Narita Line / Keisei Main Line, Narita Airport / Terminal 2 Station |
| Tokyo International (Haneda) | Keikyu Airport Line / Tokyo Monorail |
| Chubu Centrair International | Meitetsu Airport Line, Chubu Centrair Station |
| Osaka International (Itami) | Osaka Monorail, Osaka Airport Station |
| Kansai International | Kansai Airport Line / Nankai Airport Line, Kansai Airport Station |
| Kobe Airport | Port Liner, Kobe Airport Station |
| Fukuoka Airport | Fukuoka City Subway Airport Line, Fukuoka Airport Station |
| Miyazaki Airport | Miyazaki Airport Line, Miyazaki Airport Station |
| Naha Airport | Okinawa Urban Monorail, Naha Airport Station |
Haneda and Narita have stations at each terminal due to their size.
Miyazaki Airport has direct rail access despite its modest size. The Miyazaki Airport Line is JR’s shortest line at 1.4 km.
Rank 12–18: Within Walking Distance (7 airports)
About 20 minutes on foot to the nearest station. Some of these I’ve actually walked during airport conquest trips.
12th: Yao Airport (0.5 km, 6 min)
Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line, Yao-Minami Station
No scheduled flights, but located within Osaka city with subway access.
13th: Yamaguchi-Ube Airport (0.6 km, 7 min)
Ube Line, Kusae Station
Excellent access — the station is right across the road from the airport exit.
14th: Miho Air Base / Yonago (0.9 km, 11 min)
Sakai Line, Yonago Airport Station
A strong showing from the Tottori pair (Tottori Airport and Miho). Living up to the “Airport” in the station name.
15th: Tottori Airport (1.5 km, 19 min)
San’in Main Line, Tottori Daigaku-mae Station
This station is served by limited express trains, making it quite convenient.
16th: Sapporo Airfield / Okadama (1.5 km, 20 min)
Sapporo Municipal Subway Tōhō Line, Sakaemachi Station
Located within Sapporo with subway access. I’ve walked this route before without issue.
However, in winter the snow makes walking difficult. Walking access is realistic only in summer.
17th: Chofu Airfield (1.7 km, 21 min)
Seibu Tamagawa Line, Tama Station
Also accessible by bus from nearby stations, but walkable if you want to save money.
18th: Memanbetsu Airport (1.9 km, 22 min)
Sekihoku Main Line, Nishi-Memanbetsu Station
Reasonable distance for Hokkaido. However, trains stop only 9 times per day in each direction — don’t miss yours.
Walking access is summer-only in Hokkaido.
Summary:
| Airport | Nearest Station | Distance | Walking Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yao | Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line, Yao-Minami | 0.5 km | 6 min |
| Yamaguchi-Ube | Ube Line, Kusae | 0.6 km | 7 min |
| Miho (Yonago) | Sakai Line, Yonago Airport | 0.9 km | 11 min |
| Tottori | San’in Main Line, Tottori Daigaku-mae | 1.5 km | 19 min |
| Sapporo (Okadama) | Subway Tōhō Line, Sakaemachi | 1.5 km | 20 min |
| Chofu | Seibu Tamagawa Line, Tama | 1.7 km | 21 min |
| Memanbetsu | Sekihoku Main Line, Nishi-Memanbetsu | 1.9 km | 22 min |
Rank 19–54: Under 2 Hours on Foot (36 airports)
Not practical for walking access, but recorded as data.
| Airport | Nearest Station | Distance | Walking Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asahikawa | Furano Line, Chiyogaoka | 3.7 km | 45 min |
| Hakodate | Hakodate Tram Yunokawa Line, Yunokawa | 3.1 km | 38 min |
| Kushiro | Nemuro Main Line, Otanoshike | 9.7 km | 114 min |
| Shikabe Airfield | Hakodate Main Line, Shikabe | 5.2 km | 62 min |
| Misawa Air Base | Aoimori Railway, Misawa | 4.6 km | 58 min |
| Hanamaki | Kamaishi Line, Ninai | 2.7 km | 33 min |
| Akita | Ōu Main Line, Wada | 8.1 km | 98 min |
| Odate-Noshiro | Akita Nairiku Jūkan Railway, Jōmon Kogata | 2.9 km | 34 min |
| Yamagata | Ōu Main Line, Sakuranbō Higashine | 3.3 km | 42 min |
| Fukushima | Suigun Line, Izumigō | 4.0 km | 45 min |
| Ryūgasaki Airfield | Kantō Railway Ryūgasaki Line, Ryūgasaki | 6.2 km | 77 min |
| Honda Airport | Takasaki Line, Okegawa | 6.4 km | 80 min |
| Niigata | Hakushin Line, Ōgata | 4.9 km | 61 min |
| Toyama | Toyama Chihō Railway Kamidaki Line, Asanamachi | 4.8 km | 60 min |
| Komatsu Air Base | Hokuriku Main Line, Komatsu | 4.4 km | 55 min |
| Fukui | Hokuriku Main Line, Harue | 1.9 km | 24 min |
| Matsumoto | Shinonoi Line, Murai | 3.8 km | 46 min |
| Shizuoka | Tōkaidō Main Line, Kanaya | 6.7 km | 86 min |
| Nagoya Airfield | Meitetsu Komaki Line, Ajiyoshi | 3.8 km | 49 min |
| Tajima Airfield | San’in Main Line, Kokufu | 5.1 km | 59 min |
| Nanki-Shirahama | Kisei Main Line, Kii-Tonda | 4.5 km | 52 min |
| Izumo | San’in Main Line, Shōbara | 3.6 km | 45 min |
| Iwami | San’in Main Line, Masuda | 4.9 km | 60 min |
| Okayama | Tsuyama Line, Nonoguchi | 10.1 km | 117 min |
| Konan Airfield | Seto-Ōhashi Line, Bizen-Nishiichi | 6.5 km | 81 min |
| Hiroshima | San’yō Main Line, Irino | 7.0 km | 84 min |
| Iwakuni Air Base | San’yō Main Line, Iwakuni | 2.5 km | 31 min |
| Tokushima Air Base | Naruto Line, Konpira-mae | 6.2 km | 76 min |
| Takamatsu | Kotoden Kotohira Line, Okamoto | 7.2 km | 85 min |
| Matsuyama | Iyotetsu Gunchū Line, Kamata | 3.5 km | 45 min |
| Kōchi | Gomen-Nahari Line, Tatsuda | 3.2 km | 41 min |
| Kitakyūshū | Nippō Main Line, Kanda | 9.5 km | 118 min |
| Nagasaki | Ōmura Line, Suwa | 4.5 km | 57 min |
| Kumamoto | Hōhi Main Line, Higo-Ōzu | 7.0 km | 85 min |
| Ōita Kenō Airfield | Hōhi Main Line, Bungo-Kiyokawa | 9.3 km | 116 min |
| Kagoshima | Hisatsu Line, Naka-Fukura | 3.6 km | 43 min |
A note on Hanamaki Airport: there is a station called “Hanamaki Airport Station,” but it’s actually 3.9 km from the airport. Ninai Station on the Kamaishi Line (2.7 km) is closer. However, Ninai Station has only 9 trains per day in each direction, while Hanamaki Airport Station has 31 — so the “airport” station may be more practical despite being farther away.
Rank 55–65: Over 2 Hours on Foot (11 airports)
| Airport | Nearest Station | Distance | Walking Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wakkanai | Sōya Main Line, Minami-Wakkanai | 10.0 km | 123 min |
| Monbetsu | Sekihoku Main Line, Engaru | 38.8 km | 475 min |
| Obihiro | Nemuro Main Line, Satsunai | 23.4 km | 281 min |
| Nakashibetsu | Senmō Main Line, Mashū | 49.2 km | 600 min |
| Aomori | Ōu Main Line, Tsurugasaka | 10.4 km | 124 min |
| Shōnai | Uetsu Main Line, Uzen-Ōyama | 10.0 km | 123 min |
| Hyakuri Air Base (Ibaraki) | Jōban Line, Ishioka | 13.3 km | 166 min |
| Noto | Noto Railway Nanao Line, Anamizu | 11.0 km | 128 min |
| Saga | Nagasaki Main Line, Saga | 13.6 km | 168 min |
| Amakusa Airfield | Misumi Line, Misumi | 54.4 km | 671 min |
| Ōita | Nippō Main Line, Kitsuki | 19.6 km | 244 min |
The farthest, Amakusa Airfield, is on Amakusa Shimoshima island but connected to mainland Kyushu by road, so it’s included here.
Not Ranked: Island Airports (35 airports)
Airports on islands without railways are excluded.
| Prefecture | Airports |
|---|---|
| Hokkaido | Rishiri, Rebun, Okushiri |
| Tokyo | Ōshima, Niijima, Kōzushima, Miyakejima, Hachijōjima |
| Niigata | Sado |
| Shimane | Oki |
| Nagasaki | Tsushima, Ojika, Kami-Gotō, Fukue, Iki |
| Kagoshima | Satsuma-Iōjima, Tanegashima, Yakushima, Amami, Kikai, Tokunoshima, Okinoerabu, Yoron |
| Okinawa | Ie, Kerama, Aguni, Kumejima, Kita-Daitō, Minami-Daitō, Miyako, Shimojishima, Tarama, New Ishigaki, Hateruma, Yonaguni |