Japan National Route 289, National highway in Niigata and Fukushima, Japan
Japan National Route 289 is a national road that runs between central Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast and the city of Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture on the Pacific coast. The road crosses a mountainous interior, passing through steep passes and deep valleys.
The road received its official national route designation in 1999, though the planned construction timeline was severely disrupted by a major earthquake in 2004 that caused landslides along the route. Work has continued since then, but the central section remains unfinished.
Along the route, roadside rest stops known as Michi-no-Eki sell food and goods produced by nearby mountain communities. Stopping at one gives travelers a direct sense of what people in these areas grow and make.
The central section of the road is still under construction, so a complete end-to-end drive is not currently possible. Mountain roads in this region can also close during winter, so checking conditions before setting out is a good idea.
Once finished, this road will be one of the few routes to cross the full width of Honshu from the Sea of Japan to the Pacific, passing entirely through mountain terrain. The area it crosses is known for some of the heaviest snowfall in Japan each winter.
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