# Japan National Route 46

National Route 46 (国道46号, Kokudō yonjūrokugō) is a national highway of Japan that connects the capital cities of Iwate Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, Morioka and Akita. It has a total length of 121.4 kilometers (75.4 mi).

## Route description

National Route 46 is one of the primary east-west highways in the prefectures of Akita and Iwate and the main route between the cities of Morioka in the Iwate Prefecture's interior plains and the city of Akita on the Sea of Japan coast. It carries traffic across the Ōu Mountains that separate the two cities. The highway's eastern terminus lies at a junction with National Route 4 southeast of central Morioka. It has significant concurrencies with National Route 13 and National Route 341. A section of the highway is built to expressway standards in the city of Semboku. The highway along with National Route 13, meets its western terminus at a junction with National Route 7 to the west of central Akita. The highway has a total length of 121.4 kilometers (75.4 mi).

## History

National Route 46 was originally designated on 18 May 1953 as National Route 105, and this was redesignated as National Route 46 when the route was promoted to a primary national highway. The highway was completed in December 1975, but the road over the Ōu Mountains was deemed to be insufficient. An 11.6-kilometer-long (7.2 mi) upgraded section of National Route 46, known as the Sengan Road (仙岩道路, Sengan-dōro), was completed in November 1977 to supplement the inadequate road over the mountains.

## Major intersections

All junctions listed are at-grade intersections unless noted otherwise.
| Prefecture | Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
| Iwate | Morioka | 0.0 | 0.0 | National Route 4 (Morioka Bypass) – Ninohe, Hanamaki, Central Morioka Iwate Prefecture Route 36 east – to National Route 106, National Route 396, Tōno, Miyako | Eastern terminus; eastern end of Iwate Prefecture Route 36 concurrency |
| Iwate | Morioka | 1.2 | 0.75 | Iwate Prefecture Route 120 south – Yahaba, Iwate-Iioka Station | Interchange |
| Iwate | Morioka | 2.4 | 1.5 | Iwate Prefecture Route 36 west – to Tōhoku Expressway | Western end of Iwate Prefecture Route 36 concurrency |
| Iwate | Morioka | 5.5 | 3.4 | Unnamed city roads – to National Route 4, Morioka Station | |
| Iwate | Morioka | 6.3 | 3.9 | Iwate Prefecture Route 293 north – Morioka Station | |
| Iwate | Morioka | 7.0 | 4.3 | Iwate Prefecture Route 13 – Hanamaki Onsen, Distribution Center, Morioka Station, Iwate Prefecture Office | |
| Iwate | Morioka | 8.3 | 5.2 | Iwate Prefecture Route 16 (Morioka Loop Route) – Lake Gosho, Morioka Station | |
| Iwate | Morioka | 10.4 | 6.5 | Iwate Prefecture Route 1 east – to National Route 4, Aoyama, Morioka Station, Ninohe | Eastern end of Iwate Prefecture Route 1 concurrency |
| Iwate | Morioka | 11.3 | 7.0 | Tōhoku Expressway – Aomori, Hachinohe, Sendai | Morioka Interchange (E4 exit 42) |
| Iwate | Takizawa | 12.6 | 7.8 | Iwate Prefecture Route 16 (Morioka Loop Route) north – Takizawawakare | Eastern end of Iwate Prefecture Route 16 concurrency |
| Iwate | Takizawa | 13.1 | 8.1 | Iwate Prefecture Route 130 north – Ōkama Station | |
| Iwate | Takizawa | 14.0 | 8.7 | Iwate Prefecture Route 16 (Morioka Loop Route) south – Distribution Center, Lake Gosho | Western end of Iwate Prefecture Route 16 concurrency |
| Iwate | Morioka | 17.6 | 10.9 | Iwate Prefecture Route 131 north – Koiwai Iwate Prefecture Route 258 south – Tsunagi | |
| Iwate | Shizukuishi | 20.5 | 12.7 | Iwate Prefecture Route 1 west – Yokote, Shizukuishi | Western end of Iwate Prefecture Route 1 concurrency |
| Iwate | Shizukuishi | 23.1 | 14.4 | Iwate Prefecture Route 212 – Amihari, Shizukuishi Station | |
| Iwate | Shizukuishi | 36.8 | 22.9 | Iwate Prefecture Route 266 west – Mount Akita-Komagatake | |
| Akita | Semboku | 52.3 | 32.5 | National Route 341 north – Kazuno, Lake Tazawa, Tamagawa Dam | Eastern end of National Route 341 concurrency |
| Akita | Semboku | 64.5 | 40.1 | Akita Prefecture Route 50 south – Misato, Dakigaeri Gorge | |
| Akita | Semboku | 69.0 | 42.9 | National Route 341 south – to National Route 105, Daisen | Western end of National Route 341 concurrency, eastern end of expressway section |
| Akita | Semboku | 69.9 | 43.4 | National Route 105 – Kitaakita, Daisen | Interchange |
| Akita | Semboku | 71.2 | 44.2 | Akita Prefecture Route 250 – Central Kakunodate | Interchange |
| Akita | Semboku | 73.2 | 45.5 | National Route 341 – Kariwano, Central Kakunodate | Interchange |
| Akita | Semboku | 74.3 | 46.2 | National Route 341 north – Yamazaki | Eastern end of National Route 341 concurrency, western end of expressway section |
| Akita | Semboku | 75.6 | 47.0 | Akita Prefecture Route 253 south – Nagano | |
| Akita | Daisen | 85.3 | 53.0 | Akita Prefecture Route 252 south – Yurihonjō, Kariwano | |
| Akita | Daisen | 94.8 | 58.9 | National Route 13 / National Route 341 south – to Akita Expressway, Yokote, Daisen, Noshiro, Akita | Eastern end of National Route 13 concurrency, western end of National Route 341 concurrency |
| Akita | Daisen | 98.0 | 60.9 | Akita Prefecture Route 28 west – Funaoka, Kyowa ski area | |
| Akita | Akita | 104.5 | 64.9 | Akita Prefecture Route 308 north – Taihei, Iwamisannai | |
| Akita | Akita | 106.5 | 66.2 | Akita Prefecture Route 62 north – Taihei, Tegata Akita Prefecture Route 175 south – Wada Station | Eastern end of Akita Prefecture Route 62 concurrency |
| Akita | Akita | 107.2 | 66.6 | Akita Prefecture Route 62 south – to Nihonkai-Tōhoku Expressway, Akita Airport, Akita Prefectural Central Park, Yūwa | Western end of Akita Prefecture Route 62 concurrency |
| Akita | Akita | 109.4 | 68.0 | Akita Expressway – Sendai, Yokote, Noshiro, Ōdate, Yokote, Kitakami | Akita-minami Interchange (E7 exit 6) |
| Akita | Akita | 112.9 | 70.2 | Akita Prefecture Route 41 – Goshono New Town, Nibetsu Forest, Tegata | Interchange |
| Akita | Akita | 114.4 | 71.1 | Akita Prefecture Route 9 south – Yūwa, Akita Airport | |
| Akita | Akita | 115.2 | 71.6 | Akita Prefecture Route 61 south – to National Route 7, Yurihonjō, Araya | |
| Akita | Akita | 118.4 | 73.6 | Akita Prefecture Route 28 east – Akita Station | |
| Akita | Akita | 118.9 | 73.9 | Akita Prefecture Route 56 – Sakata, Yurihonjō, Central Akita | |
| Akita | Akita | 121.4 | 75.4 | National Route 7 – Sakata, Yurihonjō, Ōdate, Noshiro Akita Prefecture Route 26 east – Akita Station, Akita City Hall, Akita Prefecture Office | Western terminus, western end of National Route 13 concurrency |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus ||||||