# Japan National Route 106

National Route 106 (国道106号, Kokudō Hyaku-rokugō) is a national highway of Japan that connects the cities of Miyako and Morioka in Iwate Prefecture. As of June 2020, it has a total length of 92.4 kilometers (57.4 mi), though the highway is in the process of being upgraded to the Miyako–Morioka Connector (宮古盛岡横断道路, Miyako–Morioka Ōdandōro), which will follow a shorter route than the older highway. It is paralleled for most of its length by JR East's Yamada Line.

## Route description

National Route 106 is one of the primary west-east highways in Iwate Prefecture and the main route between the cities of Miyako on the Pacific coast and Morioka in the prefecture's interior plains. It carries traffic across the Kitakami Mountains that separate the two cities. The highway has a total length of 92.4 kilometers (57.4 mi).

## History

What would eventually become National Route 106 was the 宮古街道 (Miyako Kaidō), a road linking Morioka and Miyako that was established in 1881. Work began in 1963 to upgrade the Miyako Kaidō to National Route 106 after the route was designated as Secondary National Route 106 in 1953. The secondary route designation was merged with the primary routes in 1963. The upgrades to the route were completed in 1978
After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, plans were created to streamline the highway's route by a series of tunnels and bridges through the Kitakami Mountains between Miyako and Morioka. Some sections will be upgraded to expressway standards as the highway is rebuilt.

## List of major junctions and features

The route lies entirely within Iwate Prefecture.
| Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
| Miyako | 0.0 | 0.0 | National Route 45 – Kamaishi, Kuji, Central Miyako, Jōdogahama, Fishery museum | Eastern terminus |
| Miyako | 4.1 | 2.5 | Iwate Prefecture Route 40 north – Central Miyako, Miyako Station Miyako Road – Sanriku Expressway | |
| Miyako | 4.9 | 3.0 | Iwate Prefecture Route 200 south – Hanawa | |
| Miyako | 6.5 | 4.0 | Miyakonishi Road east – to Sanriku Expressway | Interchange |
| Miyako | 16.8 | 10.4 | Iwate Prefecture Route 115 west – Moichi Station | |
| Miyako | 16.9 | 10.5 | National Route 340 north – Iwaizumi | Eastern end of National Route 340 concurrency |
| Miyako | 31.0 | 19.3 | Iwate Prefecture Route 143 south – Rikuchū-Kawai Station | |
| Miyako | 32.4 | 20.1 | National Route 340 south – Tōno, Ōtsuchi | Western end of National Route 340 concurrency |
| Miyako | 41.5 | 25.8 | Iwate Prefecture Route 142 south – Kawauchi Station | Partial interchange |
| Miyako | 58.7 | 36.5 | Iwate Prefecture Route 171 north – Iwaizumi | |
| Morioka | 79.1 | 49.2 | Iwate Prefecture Route 43 south – Nagano Pass, Nedamo | |
| Morioka | 81.4 | 50.6 | Tonan-Kawame Road west – Kawame | Kawame Interchange |
| Morioka | 82.8 | 51.4 | Iwate Prefecture Route 36 north – Tsunatori Dam | Eastern end of Iwate Prefecture Route 36 concurrency |
| Morioka | 84.3 | 52.4 | Iwate Prefecture Route 36 south – to Tōhoku Expressway, National Route 396, Tōno | Western end of Iwate Prefecture Route 36 concurrency |
| Morioka | 89.6 | 55.7 | National Route 4 (Morioka Bypass) – to Tōhoku Expressway, National Route 46, Hanamaki, Ninohe, Akita | |
| Morioka | 92.4 | 57.4 | National Route 455 east (Chūō-dōri) – Morioka Station, Iwate Prefecture Office | Western terminus |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus |||||