is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in Tōhaku District,

Tottori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the least populous prefecture of Japan at 570,569 (2016) and has a geographic area of . Tottori Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture to the west, Hiro ...

, Japan. It is also home to the official treasure of Sanbutsu-ji, the Misasa Onsen, and Okayama Hospital. The name "Misasa" (literally "three mornings") originates from the belief that one who stays to enjoy three mornings in the town's famous hot springs will find all of his ailments cured. As of June 1, 2016, the town has 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 6,407 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...

of 27.4 persons per km². The total area is 233.46 km². Misasa is for the most part a spa resort, boasting springs of

radium Radium is a chemical element with the symbol Ra and atomic number 88. It is the sixth element in group 2 of the periodic table, also known as the alkaline earth metals. Pure radium is silvery-white, but it readily reacts with nitrogen (rathe ...

-rich water, exhausting radon, a

radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is consi ...

gas. Locals believe that bathing one in such waters can be good for one's health, although there is no scientific consensus on whether doing so is detrimental or helpful to one's health (see Radiation hormesis). For this reason, the town of Misasa organizes a yearly

Marie Curie Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...

festival – Marie Curie discovered radium. The film ''

Koitanibashi is a 2011 Japanese film directed by Kōichi Gotō. Cast * Takako Uehara * Kensei Mikami is a Japanese actor. After being active as a fashion model in Japan, he went to New York at the age of 18. After returning home, he started work as an ...

'' was shot in Misasa.

Education

Primary schools

* Nishi Elementary School * Higashi Elementary School * Minami Elementary School

Junior high schools

* Misasa Junior High School

Universities

* Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University

Neighboring municipalities

** Tottori ** Kurayoshi ** Yurihama * Okayama Prefecture ** Kagamino ** Maniwa

Places of note

* Misasa Onsen : A radium-rich hot spring. * Oshika Valley : It is named a special location, or "meishou" (名所) by the government, and is about 4 km long. * Sanbutsu-ji : A temple located on a cliff on the north face of

Mount Mitoku , is a mountain located in Misasa, Tottori, Misasa, Tottori Prefecture. Mount Mitoku has an Topographical summit, elevation of . Mount Mitoku was known from ancient times as a place of both religious significance and scenic beauty. The mountain is ...

, it is designated as one of the National Treasures of Japan.

Twin towns

Misasa is twinned with: *

Lamalou-les-Bains Lamalou-les-Bains (; Languedocien: ''L’Amalon'') is a commune in the Hérault département in the Occitanie region in southern France. Geography Lamalou-les-Bains is located 53½ miles west of Montpellier in the Orb valley of the southern ...

, France, since 1990 *

Jōyō, Kyoto is a city located in Kyoto Prefecture, Kansai, Japan. It is halfway between Kyoto and Nara. It contains historical sites including the Shibagahara Tomb and Mito shrine. The city was founded on May 3, 1972. As of October 2020, the city has an est ...

, Japan, since 2012

References

External links

Official town website

Official town website
{{Authority control Towns in Tottori Prefecture Tōhaku District, Tottori