National Route 8 (国道8号, Kokudō hachi-gō) is a major highway in the Hokuriku and Kansai regions of central Japan.

The 574.1-kilometer (356.7 mi) highway begins at an intersection with National Routes 7, 17, 49, 113, and 116 in Chūō-ku, Niigata.

It travels southwest across central Honshu, connecting the prefecture capitals: Toyama, Kanazawa, Fukui, and Ōtsu.

[2][3] 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.

On 7–9 February 2018, heavy snowfall shut down the highway for over 60 hours in Fukui Prefecture before it could be removed.