Route 1 (Japan)

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National Route 1 (国道1号, Kokudō Ichi-gō^?) is a major highway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It connects Chuo-ku, Tokyo in the Kantō region with the city of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture in the Kansai region, passing through the Chūbu region en route. It follows the old Tōkaidō westward from Tokyo to Kyoto, and the old Kyo Kaidō from there to Osaka. Between Tokyo and Aichi Prefecture it parallels the Tomei Expressway; from there to Mie Prefecture, the Higashimeihan Expressway, and from Shiga Prefecture to Osaka, the Meishin Expressway. Its total length is 565.4 km. At its Tokyo terminus, it meets National Routes 4, 6, 14, 15, 17, and 20. At its western terminus, it links with Route 2 and other highways.

Route 1 links Tokyo to the important prefectural capitals of Yokohama (Kanagawa Prefecture), Shizuoka, Nagoya (Aichi Prefecture), Otsu (Shiga Prefecture), Kyoto, and Osaka.

For much of its length, Route 1 follows the old Tōkaidō.

[edit] See also

• Gokishichidō, the ancient highways of Japan