National Route 246

National Route 246 is a major arterial highway in Japan linking Mitsukawa-ku, Yokohama in Yokohama with Gotemba, Shizuoka in Shizuoka Prefecture. The road connects key urban centers including Minato, Tokyo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Setagaya, Machida, Tokyo, Sagamihara, Yokosuka, and Hakone corridors, serving both commuter and freight traffic. Its alignment traverses metropolitan, suburban, and mountainous terrain, interfacing with expressways, rail corridors, and historic routes such as the Tōkaidō.

Route description

The route begins near Mitsukawa-ku, Yokohama and proceeds through the Kanagawa Prefecture urban matrix, intersecting with corridors like the Tōkaidō Main Line, Odakyu Odawara Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line, Yokosuka Line, and running parallel in sections to the JR East network. In central Tokyo the highway passes notable districts including Shibuya, Harajuku, Aoyama, and Shinjuku adjacent to landmarks such as Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Park, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, and the National Diet Building visible via connecting streets. Westbound segments traverse the Setagaya suburbs toward Machida, Tokyo and enter the Kantō hinterland, crossing the Tama River and reaching Sagamihara where it intersects metropolitan routes and access to Chūō Expressway and Ken-Ō Expressway. Continuing southwest, the highway ascends through foothills adjoining Hakone and the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, approaching Gotemba, Shizuoka near views of Mount Fuji, the Gotemba Premium Outlets, and connections to the Tōmei Expressway.

History

The corridor overlays sections of historic transport arteries dating to the Edo period, including routes connecting Edo and provincial post towns on the Tōkaidō. In the Meiji Restoration era, modernization projects linked Tokyo Station and regional hubs, later influencing 20th-century route planning. Official designation occurred during postwar road reclassification in 1952 under the national road scheme that also created routes like National Route 1 and National Route 20. Subsequent decades saw upgrades tied to economic expansion associated with events such as the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 1970 World Expo in Osaka, prompting intersection improvements and grade separations. Infrastructure projects in the 1980s and 1990s coordinated with projects by Japan Highway Public Corporation and municipal authorities in Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Kanagawa Prefecture. Recent works resumed in the 21st century alongside preparations for the 2020 Summer Olympics and disaster-resilience initiatives after the Great Hanshin earthquake and 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, emphasizing seismic retrofitting and traffic management.

Major intersections and junctions

Key junctions include connections with the Tōmei Expressway near Gotemba, interchange access to the Chūō Expressway and Ken-Ō Expressway near Sagamihara, links to the Shuto Expressway network in Shibuya and Shinjuku, and feeder junctions to regional roads serving Yokohama and Machida. Notable crossings involve rail grade separations at the Odakyu Odawara Line, Keio Line, Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line, and underpasses adjacent to Shinjuku Station, Shibuya Station, and Yoyogi-Uehara Station. The route interfaces with municipal arterials leading to facilities like Haneda Airport via the greater Tokyo Bay corridor and to tourist nodes such as Hakone Shrine and Lake Ashi. Freight and logistic nodes connect through terminals servicing the Keihin Industrial Zone, Yokohama Port, and distribution centers linked by the Tōkaidō Shinkansen corridor.

Traffic and usage

Traffic patterns reflect intense commuter volume through central Tokyo districts, with peak flows influenced by corporate districts housing firms such as conglomerates clustered in Shinjuku, Shibuya, and the Marunouchi area near Tokyo Station. Public transit alternatives include nearby rail services operated by JR East, Keio Corporation, Odakyu Electric Railway, and Tokyu Corporation, which shape modal split. Freight movements utilize the corridor to reach industrial sites in Kanagawa Prefecture and intermodal exchanges at the Yokohama Bay Bridge approach. Seasonal tourist surges occur en route to Mount Fuji, Hakone onsens, and leisure destinations like Gotemba Premium Outlets, affecting weekend congestion. Traffic management employs ITS measures coordinated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, municipal traffic control centers in Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Kanagawa Prefecture, and real-time signage deployed along urban stretches.

Cultural references and media appearances

The route’s urban stretches, especially through Shibuya and Harajuku, have been featured in films, television dramas, music videos, and literature associated with creators such as Akira Kurosawa-era cinema locational shooting practices and contemporary directors photographing modern Tokyo. It appears in works referencing Tokyo life alongside cultural institutions like NHK, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, and Tokyo International Film Festival venues. Music artists from labels like Sony Music Entertainment Japan and Avex Group have used roadside backdrops in promotional videos. The highway’s presence near fashion districts links it to magazines such as Vogue Japan and street-culture movements centered on Harajuku and Shibuya youth scenes. Video games depicting realistic Tokyo environments from studios like Sega and Capcom have modeled stretches inspired by the corridor, while photographers and novelists often set chapters in adjacent neighborhoods connected by the route.

Category:Roads in Japan