Misato, Kumamoto  The town was formed on November 1, 2004 from the merger of the towns of Chūō and Tomochi. As of March 2017, the estimated population is 10,532. The total area is 144.03 km². The town of Misato has many small town features and local festivals. Misato is known for having the , with a total of 3,333 steps stretching over 2 km. Every November there is a festival in which challengers attempt to climb the steps within a certain amount of time.