was a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

located in Shimohei District,

Iwate Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture at , with a population of 1,210,534 (as of October 1, 2020). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefectur ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The villages of Moichi, and Kariya were created on April 1, 1889 within Shimohei District with the establishment of the municipality system. The two villages merged on February 1, 1955 to create the village of Niisato. On June 6, 2005, Niisato, along with the town of Tarō (also from Shimohei District), was merged into the expanded city of Miyako and no longer exists as an independent

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

. As of June 2005, the village had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 3,535 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 13.8 persons per km². The total area was 256.29 km². The population of the former village is centered on the intersection of the Shimohei and Kariya Rivers. Niisato lies along National Highway 106 between

Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . ...

and Miyako. There is also a small winding road from Niisato north to Iwaizumi town. The major distinguishing travel landmarks the bus stops along Highway 106, which are shaped like giant red apples. The village had a sister city relationship with La Trinidad in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

External links

Official website of Miyako
Dissolved municipalities of Iwate Prefecture Miyako, Iwate {{Iwate-geo-stub