Hakodate National Route 338 begins at an intersection with
National Route 5 in central
Hakodate east of
Hakodate Station as part of an unsigned concurrency with
National Route 279. The highway travels southwest along city streets through the city, then curves to the northwest, and turns northeast towards the former site of the city's ferry terminal, which was moved to the northwest of
Hakodate Station. The highway's brief route in Hokkaido ends at the former terminal, which has since been converted into a retail area. Aside from the last of the highway near the ferry terminal, the highway also carries the Main Line of the
Hakodate City Tram in its median.
Aomori Prefecture The highway is next carried south across the Tsugaru Strait via the
Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry to Ōma on the northern tip of
Aomori Prefecture's
Shimokita Peninsula. From the route's northern terminus in Hakodate to Ōma, National Route 338 runs concurrent with National Route 279; however, in Ōma, National Route 279 leaves the concurrency, travelling southeast towards
Mutsu while National Route 338 heads south towards the village of
Sai. After passing through Sai, the highway enters the western edge of Mutsu and turns east towards the center of the city. In Mutsu, national routes 279 and 338 briefly meet again, sharing a short concurrency. After leaving the concurrency, National Route 338 continues its path southeast across the peninsula while National Route 279 heads south towards
Noheji at the southern base of the peninsula. National Route 338 parallels the Pacific coast for the rest of its route south through
Higashidōri,
Rokkasho, and
Misawa before terminating in Oirase. ==History==