eki made no kyori ha mizikai.

まで means up to, until, or in this kind of sentence, as far as.

In 駅まで, it means to the station in the sense of up to the station as a destination/end point.

So:

• 駅まで = to the station
• 駅までの距離 = the distance to the station

It is not the same as に, which often marks a destination of movement, as in 駅に行く = go to the station. Here, the sentence is talking about a distance, so まで is very natural.

The の connects 駅まで with 距離.

You can think of 駅まで as a phrase meaning to the station, and then の turns that into something that modifies the noun 距離.

So:

• 駅まで = to the station
• 駅までの距離 = the distance to the station

This is a very common pattern in Japanese:

• 学校までの道 = the road to the school
• 家から駅までの時間 = the time from home to the station

So の is acting like of or like a noun-linking marker.

Literally, it is something like:

station + to/as far as + of + distance

A more natural English unpacking is:

the distance to the station

Japanese often builds noun phrases by putting descriptive information before the noun. Here, the main noun is 距離, and everything before it tells you what kind of distance it is.

は marks the topic.

So in 駅までの距離は短い, the topic is the distance to the station. Then the sentence says something about that topic: it is short.

A natural breakdown is:

• 駅までの距離は = as for the distance to the station
• 短い = is short

So the full sense is:

As for the distance to the station, it is short.

In more natural English: The distance to the station is short.

Because Japanese often describes distance with short or long, just like English can say a short distance or a long distance.

So:

• 距離が短い = the distance is short
• 距離が長い = the distance is long

This is completely normal Japanese.

Even though English often prefers The station is close, Japanese can express the idea by focusing on the distance itself:

• 駅までの距離は短い = The distance to the station is short

Yes, but the sentence structure would usually change.

For example:

• 駅は近い。 = The station is close.
• 駅が近い。 = The station is close.

These focus on the station being nearby.

By contrast:

• 駅までの距離は短い。 = The distance to the station is short.

This focuses on the distance, not directly on the station.

So both can express a similar overall idea, but they are not exactly the same in nuance:

• 近い = focuses on nearness
• 距離は短い = focuses on the distance being short

Also, 駅まで近い by itself is not the standard way to say this.

Yes, possibly.

Japanese often leaves out information that is understood from context. In this sentence, we know there is some starting point, but it is not stated.

For example, depending on context, it could mean:

• the distance from here to the station is short
• the distance from the hotel to the station is short
• the distance from our house to the station is short

Japanese does not need to state that if it is already obvious from the conversation.

So the sentence is complete, but some background information may be omitted.

Yes, in some contexts you could say:

駅までの距離が短い。

This is grammatically fine, but the nuance changes.

A simple way to think about it:

• は = presents the distance to the station as the topic
• が = presents the distance to the station as the thing being identified or emphasized

So:

• 駅までの距離は短い。 = As for the distance to the station, it is short.
• 駅までの距離が短い。 = It is the distance to the station that is short, or the distance to the station is short with a slightly more descriptive or situational feel

For a learner, は is probably the more neutral version if you are simply making a statement.

You may see への in some expressions, but 駅までの距離 is more natural here.

That is because まで works especially well with distance, since it marks the endpoint of a span.

Compare:

• 駅までの距離 = distance up to the station / distance to the station
• 駅への道 = road toward the station / road to the station

With 距離, まで is the usual and very natural choice.

短い is an i-adjective.

That means it can end a sentence by itself:

• 距離は短い。 = The distance is short.

It can also directly modify a noun:

• 短い距離 = a short distance

Its dictionary form is 短い.

Yes, it is grammatical and natural, but in everyday conversation many people might say something simpler depending on the situation, such as:

• 駅は近い。 = The station is close.
• 駅まで近い。 is not the usual form
• 駅まで歩いてすぐです。 = It’s just a short walk to the station.
• 駅までそんなに遠くないです。 = It’s not that far to the station.

So 駅までの距離は短い is correct and understandable, but it sounds a little more descriptive or formal than the most casual spoken alternatives.