NovaMagnolia

About NovaMagnolia

We help people fall back in love with walking

NovaMagnolia began with a simple observation: in Japan, the healthiest habit many people have is one they never think about. Walking to the station, through the shotengai, up the shrine steps. We set out to make those everyday steps intentional, enjoyable and shared.

Where it started

A Sunday walking group by the Meguro River

In 2017 our founder, a physiotherapist who had just moved back to Tokyo, invited a few neighbours for a Sunday morning stroll along the river. Nobody wore sportswear and nobody counted laps. They walked, talked, stopped for coffee, and agreed to meet again the following week.

The group grew by word of mouth: retirees, office workers, new arrivals from abroad, parents with strollers. Within two years it had become a small organisation that maps neighborhood routes, runs weekly club walks and teaches the gentle, consistent walking habits that make daily life in a Japanese city feel healthier.

A sunlit, tree-lined walking path running beside a park in Tokyo

What we believe

The city is the best walking track you have

You don't need a treadmill, a fitness tracker or a mountain. Japan's cities offer safe pavements, frequent trains to shorten any walk, and neighborhoods dense with things worth seeing. Our job is to point you toward good routes and help you return to them often enough that walking becomes something you simply do.

  • Every route under five kilometres and starting at a station
  • Groups of no more than twelve, walking at conversation pace
  • Walk leaders who live in the neighborhood they lead

The team

Coaches, residents and very keen walkers

Our small team includes a physiotherapist, two certified health-exercise instructors and a rotating group of volunteer walk leaders from across Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Kyoto. Walk leaders are trained in pacing, heat safety and basic first aid, and every route is tested in each season before we publish it.

34routesMapped and tested across four cities
1,400+ walkersHave joined at least one group walk
2017est.The first Sunday walk by the river
A narrow Tokyo side street in the evening lit by paper lanterns from small restaurants

Walking with care

Good neighbours on every street

The lanes we walk are people's homes. We keep groups small, avoid narrow residential streets at busy school and delivery hours, and encourage members to spend a little at the family-run shops along each route.

We also care about the walkers themselves. Summer routes are rescheduled to cooler hours, every published route lists shade, water and toilets, and anyone can stop or shorten a walk at any time without a second thought.

Say hello

Where to reach us

Our small studio is a short walk from Funabori Station. Drop by during opening hours, Tuesday to Sunday from 8:00 to 18:00, or send us a message and we will reply within one working day.