Misato, Miyazaki

Misato (美郷町, Misato-chō) is a town located in Higashiusuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 August 2023^[update], 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
Town
Misato Town hall
Flag Chapter
Location of Misato in Miyazaki Prefecture
Misato Location in Japan
Coordinates: 32°26′25″N 131°25′23″E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Miyazaki
District	Higashiusuki
Area
• Total	448.84 km2 (173.30 sq mi)
Population  (August 31, 2023)
• Total	4,397
• Density	9.8/km2 (25/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	Saigo-ku, Tashiro 1, Misato-cho, Higashiusuki-gun, Miyazaki-ken883-1101
Climate	Cfa
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Japanese white-eye
Flower	Prunus mume
Tree	Ternstroemia gymnanthera

Shosoin style in Misato, which built by part of tourism and relationship in Japan and South Korea

Geography

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

Neighbouring municipalities

Miyazaki Prefecture

• Hinokage
• Hyūga
• Kadogawa
• Kijō
• Morotsuka
• Nobeoka
• Saito
• Shiiba

Climate

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)	29.6 (85.3)	31.9 (89.4)	34.7 (94.5)	35.0 (95.0)	38.3 (100.9)	39.2 (102.6)	35.4 (95.7)	33.1 (91.6)	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

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

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 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%	Year Pop. ±% 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

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

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

Misato has an economy based overwhelmingly on agriculture and forestry.

Education

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

Railways

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

Highways

• National Route 327
• National Route 388
• National Route 466

Sister cities

• Buyeo County, South Korea, since November 2009

Local attractions

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]