Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

connecting

Tōno, Iwate is a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 26,378, and a population density of 31.6 persons per km2 in 10,759 households. The total area of the city is . Tōno is known as "The City of Folklore" for its rura ...

and

Morioka, Iwate is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . G ...

in Japan, with a total length of 58.7 km (36.47 mi).

Route description

Route 396 is a two-lane highway that winds through the hills of Western Tōno, eastern

Hanamaki is a Cities of Japan, city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 94,691, and a population density of 100 persons per km², in 37,773 households. The total area of the city is . Hanamaki is famous as the birthplace ...

, eastern Shiwa and enters southern

Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . ...

following the

Kitakami River The is the fourth largest river in Japan and the largest in the Tōhoku region. It is long and drains an area of . page 793 It flows through mostly rural areas of Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures. The source of the river is the Mount Nanashirug ...

. In the steeper hills of Hanamaki and Tōno, there are generous passing lanes on the uphill stretches going both ways. In Shiwa, there are fruit and vegetable stands in season along the roadside and several excellent restaurants can be found in and close to Morioka. On the Tōno end, 396 passes the Chiba Family Farmhouse. There is a tunnel approximately one kilometer long in Tōno under the Kotōge Pass.

Intersections

In Tōno, Route 396 begins at National Route 283 in Ayaori. In the Miyamori section of Tōno, there is an intersection with Prefectural Roads 160 and 161. 161 leads to the northeast through Tsukimoushi and 160 leads southwest over the

Tase Dam is a multipurpose dam located on the Sarugaishi River in the former town of Tōwa which is now a part of the city of Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture, in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. Completed in 1954, it is managed by the Tohoku Regio ...

. In Hanamaki, Route 396 intersects with Prefectural Road 43 at two different places in Ohasama and shares about a half-kilometer of roadway. 43 South leads to Towa while 43 North leads to Lake Hayachine. There is also an intersection with Prefectural Road 102 which goes to Ishidoriya. In Shiwa, Route 396 intersects with Prefectural Road 228 which joins National Route 456. 396 crosses Prefectural Road 25 near the Shiwa Road Station. 25 West leads to central Shiwa and 25 east leads to Lake Hayachine after a winding and torturous ascent of Arikabe Toge Pass. In Morioka, Route 396 joins Prefectural Road 208 in two places. 208 West crosses National Route 4 and leads to Yahaba Station. There is also an intersection with Prefectural Road 36. 36 East leads to National Route 106 while 36 West crosses National Route 4 and leads to the Morioka Minami Interchange of the

Tōhoku Expressway The is a south-north national expressway, and the longest expressway in Japan at . Its southern terminus is in Kawaguchi, Saitama in the Greater Tokyo Area, at the Tokyo Gaikan Expressway and Kawaguchi Route near Araijuku Station, and its no ...

References

{{National Routes of Japan, 396 National highways in Japan Roads in Iwate Prefecture