is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in

Fukushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. , the town had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 20,092 in 7306 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

of 73 persons per km². The total area of the town was .

Geography

Aizumisato is located in the eastern portion of the

Aizu is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1, 2010, it had a population of 291,838. The princ ...

region, in west-central Fukushima Prefecture on the southwestern edge of the Aizu Basin. *Mountains: Mount Hakase, Mount Myojindake (1074 m) *Rivers: Aka River *Lakes:

Miyagawa Dam Miyagawa Dam is a dam in the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and exten ...

Neighboring municipalities

Fukushima Prefecture * Aizubange *

Aizuwakamatsu is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 118,159 in 50,365 households, and a population density of 310 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . History The area of present-day Aizuwakamatsu ...

* Shimogō * Shōwa * Yanaizu

Climate

Aizumisato has a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Köppen ''Dfb'') characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Aizumisato is 13.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1320 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around −1.4 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Aizumisato has declined over the past 70 years.

History

The area of present-day Aizumisato was part of ancient Mutsu Province and formed part of the holdings of

Aizu Domain was a Han (Japan), domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1601 to 1871.Ravina, Mark. (1998) ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan,'' p. 222 The Aizu Domain was based at Aizuwakamatsu Castle, Tsuruga Castle in M ...

during the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, it was organized as part of Ōnuma District in Fukushima Prefecture. The town of Aizumisato was created on October 1, 2005 with the merger of the two towns of Aizutakada and Aizuhongō and the village of Niitsuru, all from Ōnuma District.

Economy

The economy of Aizumisato is dominated by agriculture.

Education

Aizumisato has five public elementary schools and three public junior high schools operated by the town government. The town has one public high school operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education. * Fukushima Prefectural Aizumisato High School

Transportation

Railway

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

–

Tadami Line The is a scenic railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Aizu-Wakamatsu Station at Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima, Aizuwakamatsu in Fukushima Prefecture with Koide Station at Uonuma, Niigata, Uonuma in Niiga ...

* –

Highway

* – Niitsuru PA *

Local attractions

* Mukaihaguroyama Castle ruins, a National Historic Site *Sakurdari Kannon

Sister cities

Aizumisato has a sister-city relationship with the town of Naraha, also in Fukushima Prefecture. This is a renewal of the relationship Niitsuru had with Naraha prior to the merger.姉妹友好都市 – 会津美里町
(''Shimai yūkō toshi – Aizumisato''), town web site, retrieved on December 22, 2008

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Towns in Fukushima Prefecture Aizumisato, Fukushima