Misato (美郷町, Misato-chō) is a town located in Higashiusuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 August 2023, the town has an estimated population of 4297 in 2020 households, and a population density of 9.8 persons per km². [1] The total area of the town is 448.84 square kilometres (173.30 sq mi)..

Misato
美郷町
Misato Town hall
Misato Town hall
Flag of Misato
Official seal of Misato
Map
Location of Misato in Miyazaki Prefecture
Location of Misato
Misato is located in Japan
Misato
Misato
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 32°26′25″N 131°25′23″E / 32.44028°N 131.42306°E / 32.44028; 131.42306
CountryJapan
RegionKyushu
PrefectureMiyazaki
DistrictHigashiusuki
Area
 • Total
448.84 km2 (173.30 sq mi)
Population
 (August 31, 2023)
 • Total
4,397
 • Density9.8/km2 (25/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall addressSaigo-ku, Tashiro 1, Misato-cho, Higashiusuki-gun, Miyazaki-ken883-1101
ClimateCfa
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
BirdJapanese white-eye
FlowerPrunus mume
TreeTernstroemia gymnanthera
Shosoin style in Misato, which built by part of tourism and relationship in Japan and South Korea

Geography

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Misato is located in northern Miyazaki Prefecture in the steep Kyushu Mountains. Approximately 90% of the town area is forest.

Neighbouring municipalities

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Miyazaki Prefecture

Climate

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Misato has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. The average annual temperature in Misato is 14.9 °C (58.8 °F). The average annual rainfall is 3,229.0 mm (127.13 in) with August as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.5 °C (77.9 °F), and lowest in January, at around 3.9 °C (39.0 °F).[2] The highest temperature ever recorded in Misato was 39.2 °C (102.6 °F) on 18 August 2020; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −11.1 °C (12.0 °F) on 27 February 1981.[3]

Climate data for Nangō, Misato (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1979−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 23.1
(73.6)
23.9
(75.0)
28.2
(82.8)
31.9
(89.4)
34.6
(94.3)
34.9
(94.8)
37.5
(99.5)
39.2
(102.6)
35.4
(95.7)
32.4
(90.3)
28.2
(82.8)
23.7
(74.7)
39.2
(102.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 11.8
(53.2)
13.3
(55.9)
16.5
(61.7)
21.4
(70.5)
25.1
(77.2)
26.7
(80.1)
31.2
(88.2)
31.6
(88.9)
28.4
(83.1)
24.1
(75.4)
18.9
(66.0)
13.7
(56.7)
21.9
(71.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.9
(39.0)
5.6
(42.1)
9.2
(48.6)
13.9
(57.0)
18.1
(64.6)
21.3
(70.3)
25.2
(77.4)
25.5
(77.9)
22.4
(72.3)
17.0
(62.6)
11.2
(52.2)
5.7
(42.3)
14.9
(58.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −2.0
(28.4)
−0.6
(30.9)
2.8
(37.0)
7.2
(45.0)
12.1
(53.8)
17.3
(63.1)
21.0
(69.8)
21.4
(70.5)
18.3
(64.9)
11.9
(53.4)
5.7
(42.3)
0.0
(32.0)
9.6
(49.3)
Record low °C (°F) −10.7
(12.7)
−11.1
(12.0)
−8.1
(17.4)
−3.6
(25.5)
1.4
(34.5)
7.5
(45.5)
11.9
(53.4)
13.0
(55.4)
6.3
(43.3)
−1.0
(30.2)
−4.4
(24.1)
−9.5
(14.9)
−11.1
(12.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 70.9
(2.79)
104.1
(4.10)
166.3
(6.55)
185.9
(7.32)
237.9
(9.37)
519.7
(20.46)
479.5
(18.88)
548.2
(21.58)
534.2
(21.03)
217.1
(8.55)
91.1
(3.59)
74.1
(2.92)
3,229
(127.13)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 6.2 7.8 11.0 10.6 11.0 16.9 14.2 13.7 13.5 8.6 7.4 6.2 127.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 180.2 164.6 182.6 187.3 181.4 110.9 160.6 166.1 135.8 163.0 158.5 172.3 1,963.4
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][2]

Demographics

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Per Japanese census data, the population of Misato in 2020 is 4,826 people.[4] Misato has been conducting censuses since 1920.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 15,573—    
1925 16,197+4.0%
1930 18,611+14.9%
1935 17,516−5.9%
1940 17,440−0.4%
1945 18,803+7.8%
1950 19,880+5.7%
1955 21,382+7.6%
1960 19,410−9.2%
1965 16,101−17.0%
1970 13,219−17.9%
YearPop.±%
1975 11,436−13.5%
1980 10,709−6.4%
1985 9,855−8.0%
1990 8,984−8.8%
1995 8,251−8.2%
2000 7,509−9.0%
2005 6,874−8.5%
2010 6,248−9.1%
2015 5,480−12.3%
2020 4,826−11.9%
Misato population statistics[4]

History

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The area of Misato was part of ancient Hyūga Province. During the Edo period, it was part of the holdings of Nobeoka Domain. The villages of Kitagō, Nangō and Saigō, within Higashiusuki District, Miyazaki was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. The three villages merged on January 1, 2006 to form the town of Misato.

Government

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Misato has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 11 members. Misato, collectively with the villages of Morotsuka and Shiiba and town of Kadogawa contributes one member to the Miyazaki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Miyazaki 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

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Misato has an economy based overwhelmingly on agriculture and forestry.

Education

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Misato has one public elementary school and one public junior high school and two combined elementary/junior high schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

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Railways

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Misato has no passenger rail service. The nearest train station is Hyūgashi on the JR Kyushu Nippō Main Line

Highways

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Sister cities

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Local attractions

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Museum of Baekje in Misato
  • The Museum of Baekje in Misato and West Shosoin in Misato, both built in 1996, as part of the tourism partnership in Japan and South Korea.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Misato Town official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ^ a b 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  3. ^ a b 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Misato population statistics
  5. ^ "백제왕족전설・니시노쇼소인 (서정창원) | 관광정보 | 일본유산(Japan Heritage)남국 미야자키의 고분경관 ‐고대인의 모뉴먼트(기념비)‐". 일본유산(Japan Heritage)남국 미야자키의 고분경관 ‐고대인의 모뉴먼트(기념비)‐ (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-09-15.
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