It travels southwest across Aomori Prefecture connecting the cities of Mutsu and Hirosaki by traveling over the Hakkōda Mountains in the center of the prefecture.

National Route 394 was designated as route connecting Mutsu to Aomori in 1982;[2] however, many of the sections of roadway that make up the highway predate this designation, including a bridge along the highway over Lake Ogawara that was built in 1958.

In the same town on 27 November 2018, the route was moved slightly to the west to better facilitate the junction between it and the Kamikita Expressway.

[4] Improvements on the highway near the interchange with the Kamikita Expressway continue.

A project to straighten a 1.9-kilometer-long (1.2 mi) section of the road north of the junction is planned by the government of Aomori Prefecture.