Uchikura & Co., LLC

What Does “One Minute from the Station” Mean in Japan?

 

Japanese real estate advertisements often describe a property as “five minutes from the station” or “ten minutes on foot.” But did you know that one minute officially represents 80 meters?

 

Under Japan’s real estate advertising rules, walking time is calculated at 80 meters per minute. Any fraction is rounded up. Therefore, a property located 801 meters from a station must be advertised as an 11-minute walk, not ten minutes.

 

However, this number does not necessarily represent your actual walking time. It generally does not include time spent waiting at traffic lights, crossing busy streets, climbing hills, or navigating a large station. Your age, physical condition, and walking speed also make a difference.

 

The rule is useful because every real estate company must use the same standard. It gives buyers and renters a consistent way to compare properties.

 

Still, “five minutes from the station” does not guarantee that you can actually reach your train in five minutes. In Japan, even walking time in an advertisement is calculated according to a rule.