# Japan National Route 101

National Route 101 (国道101号, Kokudō Hyakuichigō) is a national highway of Japan connecting the capitals of Aomori and Akita prefectures, Aomori and Akita in northern Japan, with a total length of 241.6 kilometers (150.1 mi). The majority of the highway travels along the coast of the Sea of Japan, paralleling the more inland National Route 7. The present-day highway largely follows the path of the Ōmagoe-kaidō, an Edo period road that linked the Kubota and Hirosaki feudal domains.

## Route description

National Route 101 begins in central Aomori at the northern terminus of National Route 7 in front of Aoimori Park. The two national highways run parallel or concurrently all the way from Aomori to National Route 101's southern terminus in the city of Akita; however in the former town of Namioka, National Route 101 leaves National Route 7. It heads west, passing through the cities of Goshogawara and Tsugaru, until it meets the Sea of Japan coastline in the town of Ajigasawa. From there it travels along the western coast of Aomori and Akita prefectures, paralleling the more inland National Route 7. Overall, the highway has a total length of 241.6 kilometers (150.1 mi).
The JR Gonō Line closely parallels the highway for much of its route. Also known as the Ōmagoe-kaidō, there are several attractions along the winding coastal portion of the highway including Furofushi Onsen and the World Heritage Site, Shirakami-Sanchi around the border between Aomori and Akita prefectures. The registration of Shirakami-Sanchi as a World Heritage Site has resulted in an increase in the average daily traffic levels along the highway.

## History

Much of what is presently National Route 101 was preceded by the Ōmagoe-kaidō (大間越街道), a road established by the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period as a branch of the longer Ushū Kaidō (now known as national routes 7 and 13). It traveled between Hiyama-shukuba on the Ushū Kaidō in present-day Noshiro through the Kubota Domain to Hirosaki Castle in the Hirosaki Domain. A gate was set up between the two domains in 1618 to collect tolls and exchange goods. The highway was dubbed the Ōmagoe-kaidō during the Meiji period when the gate between the domains was abolished.
National Route 101 was established by the Cabinet of Japan between the city of Aomori and Noshiro, Akita in 1953 along pre-existing roads including most of the Ōmagoe-kaidō. By 1965, National Route 101 was certified to have been completed by the national government; however, in 1967 a 20.7-kilometer-long (12.9 mi) section of the highway at the border between Aomori and Akita prefectures was deemed to be to curvy and dangerous. The Noshiro Construction Office rebuilt the section with full funding from the national government. Upon the completion of the renovated section in March 1975, the highway's maintenance was handed back over to regional authorities. The highway and National Route 339 were routed along one-way streets in central Goshogawara from August 1977 to 30 August 1989, when the restrictions were lifted. In 1993, the southern terminus of the highway was moved further south from Noshiro to its current location in the city of Akita.

### Incidents and closures

On 8 June 2018, Oibanasaki Tunnel in Oga, Akita was closed because the risk of a landslide was deemed too high following the collapse of a portion of the hillside adjacent to the entrance of the tunnel during heavy rains in May. The tunnel was reopened on 15 December 2020 following the completion of work to reinforce the tunnel as well as the slope alongside the tunnel entrance.
On 22 September 2018, a drunk driver that was traveling on the highway in the city of Tsugaru at a speed of 163 kilometers per hour (101 mph) caused an incident that involved four cars. As a result of the incident, four people were killed and three were injured. The driver who caused the accident was given a 20-year prison sentence for vehicular homicide on 8 June 2020.

## Major intersections

| Prefecture | Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
| Aomori | Aomori | 0.0 | 0.0 | National Route 4 / National Route 45 south – to Noheji, Towada, Morioka | Northern terminus; northern end of National Route 7 concurrency (National Route 101 is unsigned) |
| Aomori | Aomori | 0.2 | 0.12 | Aomori Prefecture Route 120 north | Southern end of Aomori Route 120 concurrency |
| Aomori | Aomori | 0.4 | 0.25 | Aomori Prefecture Route 44 east (Aomori–Nonai Loop Road) | |
| Aomori | Aomori | 0.9 | 0.56 | National Route 280 north | |
| Aomori | Aomori | 1.4 | 0.87 | Aomori Prefecture Route 247 west | Interchange |
| Aomori | Aomori | 4.4 | 2.7 | National Route 280 north (Yomogita Bypass) | |
| Aomori | Aomori | 5.4 | 3.4 | Aomori Prefecture Route 234 | Interchange |
| Aomori | Aomori | 7.5 | 4.7 | National Route 7 north (Aomori Belt Highway) – to Towada, Noheji, Lake Towada, Aomori Airport, Tōhoku Expressway | |
| Aomori | Aomori | 9.3 | 5.8 | Aomori Prefecture Route 247 | |
| Aomori | Aomori | 14.9 | 9.3 | Aomori Prefecture Route 247 east | |
| Aomori | Aomori | 16.6 | 10.3 | National Route 7 | Southern end of National Route 7 concurrency |
| Aomori | Aomori | 18.3 | 11.4 | Aomori Prefecture Route 285 south | |
| Aomori | Aomori | 18.8 | 11.7 | National Route 7 | |
| Aomori | Aomori | 19.5 | 12.1 | Aomori Prefecture Route 231 east | |
| Aomori | Goshogawara | 21.7 | 13.5 | Aomori Prefecture Route 35 south | |
| Aomori | Goshogawara | 24.8 | 15.4 | Aomori Prefecture Route 34 south | |
| Aomori | Goshogawara | 25.5 | 15.8 | Aomori Prefecture Route 36 north | |
| Aomori | Goshogawara | 27.2 | 16.9 | Tsugaru Expressway – to Aomori, Hirosaki, Nakadomari, Cape Tappi | Goshogawara-higashi Interchange |
| Aomori | Goshogawara | 27.4 | 17.0 | Aomori Prefecture Route 156 north | |
| Aomori | Goshogawara | 29.4 | 18.3 | Aomori Prefecture Route 38 south | |
| Aomori | Goshogawara | 31.8 | 19.8 | National Route 339 (Goshogawara-kita Bypass) | |
| Aomori | Goshogawara | 32.7 | 20.3 | National Route 339 | |
| Aomori | Goshogawara | 33.1 | 20.6 | Aomori Prefecture Route 154 west / Aomori Prefecture Route 156 east | |
| Aomori | Goshogawara | 34.2 | 21.3 | Aomori Prefecture Route 151 north | |
| Aomori | Goshogawara | 35.2 | 21.9 | Aomori Prefecture Route 43 north | |
| Aomori | Tsugaru | 36.1 | 22.4 | Tsugaru Expressway east – to Aomori, Tōhoku Expressway | Tsugaru Kashiwa Interchange |
| Aomori | Tsugaru | 36.7 | 22.8 | Aomori Prefecture Route 245 west | |
| Aomori | Tsugaru | 38.0 | 23.6 | Aomori Prefecture Route 37 south / Aomori Prefecture Route 241 north | |
| Aomori | Tsugaru | 39.7 | 24.7 | Aomori Prefecture Route 186 | |
| Aomori | Tsugaru | 42.0 | 26.1 | Aomori Prefecture Route 245 east / Aomori Prefecture Route 267 west | |
| Aomori | Tsugaru | 44.1 | 27.4 | Aomori Prefecture Route 188 | |
| Aomori | Tsugaru | 45.3 | 28.1 | Aomori Prefecture Route 39 south | |
| Aomori | Tsugaru | 47.5 | 29.5 | Aomori Prefecture Route 12 north | |
| Aomori | Tsugaru | 49.0 | 30.4 | Tsugaru Expressway west – Hirosaki, Shichirinagahama Port | |
| Aomori | Ajigasawa | 49.4 | 30.7 | Aomori Prefecture Route 267 east | |
| Aomori | Ajigasawa | 52.6 | 32.7 | Aomori Prefecture Route 31 south | |
| Aomori | Ajigasawa | 53.3 | 33.1 | Tsugaru Expressway east – Goshogawara, Tsugaru | Current western terminus of the Tsugaru Expressway |
| Aomori | Ajigasawa | 55.5 | 34.5 | Aomori Prefecture Route 3 | |
| Aomori | Ajigasawa | 60.1 | 37.3 | Aomori Prefecture Route 3 east | |
| Aomori | Fukaura | 65.0 | 40.4 | Aomori Prefecture Route 191 south | |
| Aomori | Fukaura | 93.9 | 58.3 | Aomori Prefecture Route 192 south | |
| Aomori | Fukaura | 107.3 | 66.7 | Aomori Prefecture Route 192 north | |
| Aomori | Fukaura | 108.5 | 67.4 | Aomori Prefecture Route 28 east | |
| Aomori | Fukaura | 112.2 | 69.7 | Aomori Prefecture Route 280 east | |
| Akita | Happō | 134.1 | 83.3 | Akita Prefecture Route 154 south | |
| Akita | Happō | 137.9 | 85.7 | Akita Prefecture Route 154 north | |
| Akita | Happō | 142.3 | 88.4 | Akita Prefecture Route 63 south | |
| Akita | Noshiro | 150.6 | 93.6 | Akita Prefecture Route 209 north | |
| Akita | Noshiro | 152.8 | 94.9 | Akita Prefecture Route 143 east | |
| Akita | Noshiro | 157.6 | 97.9 | National Route 7 north | Northern end of National Route 7 concurrency |
| Akita | Noshiro | 162.2 | 100.8 | Akita Expressway – to Ōdate, Aomori, Akita, Kitakami | Continuous green T interchange; Akita Expressway exit 13 (Noshiro-minami Interchange) |
| Akita | Mitane | 166.9 | 103.7 | Akita Expressway – to Noshiro, Ōdate, Akita, Kitakami | Continuous green T interchange; Akita Expressway exit 12 (Hachiryū Interchange) |
| Akita | Mitane | 167.9 | 104.3 | National Route 7 south | Southern end of National Route 7 concurrency |
| Akita | Mitane | 169.3 | 105.2 | Akita Prefecture Route 42 south | |
| Akita | Oga | 190.5 | 118.4 | Akita Prefecture Route 304 east | |
| Akita | Oga | 195.7 | 121.6 | Akita Prefecture Route 55 west | Northern end of Akita Prefecture Route 55 concurrency |
| Akita | Oga | 199.2 | 123.8 | Akita Prefecture Route 55 east | Southern end of Akita Prefecture Route 55 concurrency |
| Akita | Oga | 204.6 | 127.1 | Akita Prefecture Route 59 | |
| Akita | Oga | 208.0 | 129.2 | Akita Prefecture Route 226 | |
| Akita | Oga | 210.4 | 130.7 | Akita Prefecture Route 42 north | |
| Akita | Oga | 212.0 | 131.7 | Akita Prefecture Route 159 north | |
| Akita | Katagami | 219.2 | 136.2 | Akita Prefecture Route 56 south | |
| Akita | Akita | 224.7 | 139.6 | National Route 7 north – Noshiro Akita Expressway – Akita, Kitakami, Noshiro, Ōdate | Northern end of National Route 7 concurrency; Continuous green T interchange; Akita Expressway exit 9 (Shōwa-Ogahantō Interchange) |
| Akita | Katagami | 225.2 | 139.9 | Akita Prefecture Route 41 south | |
| Akita | Katagami | 229.4 | 142.5 | Akita Prefecture Route 124 east | |
| Akita | Akita | 234.1 | 145.5 | Akita Prefecture Route 112 north | |
| Akita | Akita | 234.3 | 145.6 | Akita Prefecture Route 56 north (Ohama Street) | Northern end of Akita Prefecture Route 56 concurrency |
| Akita | Akita | 235.8 | 146.5 | Akita Prefecture Route 231 east | |
| Akita | Akita | 237.5 | 147.6 | Akita Prefecture Route 56 south | Southern end of Akita Prefecture Route 56 concurrency |
| Akita | Akita | 240.1 | 149.2 | Akita Prefecture Route 65 south | |
| Akita | Akita | 241.6 | 150.1 | National Route 7 south / National Route 13 south / Akita Prefecture Route 26 east – to Yokote, Daisen, Sakata, Yamagata, Yurihonjō, Akita Station | Southern terminus; southern end of National Route 7 concurrency |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus ||||||

## Auxiliary routes
### Tsugaru Expressway

The Tsugaru Expressway is an incomplete two-lane national expressway in Aomori Prefecture that is signed as an auxiliary route of National Route 101. Its first section was established in 2002 and the expressway has been extended in stages since then. The expressway travels west from Aomori through the cities of Goshogawara and Tsugaru, where the main section of the expressway currently ends at an interchange with the main routing of National Route 101. A short expressway stub opened in Ajigasawa in 2016. The expressway is planned to be extended south through Fukaura to Happō in Akita Prefecture.