Japan National Route 8

• Length: 574.1 km (356.7 mi)
• Origin: Chūō-ku, Niigata (originates at junction with Routes 7, 17, 49, 113 and 116)
• Terminus: Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto (ends at Junction with Routes 9, 24 and 367)
• Major cities: Sanjō, Nagaoka, Kashiwazaki, Joetsu, Itoigawa, Toyama, Takaoka, Kanazawa, Hakusan, Komatsu, Fukui, Tsuruga, Maibara, Hikone, Ōtsu

The origins of the road that is now National Route 8 can be traced back to the Hokurikudō, a road that was established after the Taika Reform to link Kyoto to the capitals of the region by that went by the same name.^[4]

The modern history of the highway saw its establishment by the Cabinet of Japan on 4 December 1952 as First Class National Highway 8 from Niigata to Kyoto. On 1 April 1965 it was re-designated as General National Highway 8. On 7–9 February 2018, heavy snowfall shut down the highway for over 60 hours in Fukui Prefecture before it could be removed.^[5]

This article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table. (November 2021)

• in Niigata Prefecture
  • Routes 7, 17, 18, 49, 113, 116, 148, 252, 253, 292, 350, 351, 352, 353, 403 and 460
• in Toyama Prefecture
  • Routes 41, 156, 160, 415, 470, 471 and 472
• in Ishikawa Prefecture
  • Routes 157, 159, 305, 360, 364 and 416
• in Fukui Prefecture
  • Routes 27, 158, 161, 305, 365, 416, 417 and 476
• in Shiga Prefecture
  • Routes 1, 21, 161, 303, 305, 306, 365, 421, 422 and 477
• in Kyoto Prefecture
  • Routes 9, 24 and 367

National Route 8 is the namesake of Hachi-ban Ramen [ja], a chain of ramen shops in the Hokuriku region.^[6]

• 
  Masaya-koji Street, near the origin of Route 8 in Niigata City
• 
  Nagaoka Bypass in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture
• 
  Route 8 in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture
• 
  Route 8 in Komatsu, Ishikawa
• 
  Route 1 and Route 8 in Rittō, Shiga Prefecture

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