Mifune, Kumamoto

Town in Kyushu, Japan

Mifune Flag Chapter
Location of Mifune in Kumamoto Prefecture
32°43′N 130°48′E / 32.717°N 130.800°E / 32.717; 130.800
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Kumamoto Prefecture
District	Kamimashiki
Area
• Total	99.00 km² (38.22 sq mi)
Population (October 1, 2016)
• Total	16,901
• Density	170/km² (440/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
Website	portal.kumamoto-net.ne.jp/town_mifune/

Mifune (御船町, Mifune-machi) is a town located in Kamimashiki District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.^[1]

As of October 2016, the town has an estimated population of 16,901 and a density of 170 persons per km². The total area is 99.00 km².

Mifune Town is well known for being home to Costco Kumamoto.

Education

Universities

Heisei College of Music

Archaeology

In March 2014, a piece of sandstone was found in Mifune that was revealed to contain a tooth dated to the Late Cretaceous, 90 million years ago. The tooth is the oldest thus found in Japan and is assumed to be a back tooth from the left, upper jaw of a carnivore similar to a Deltatheridium, an ancient marsupial relative that lived in what is now Mongolia between 145 and 66 million years ago.^[2] The find was announced by the Mifune Dinosaur Museum in August 2017. The museum and town also partner with Montana State University's Museum of the Rockies.^[3]

References

^ "「家族、友人に感謝」御船町で47組の金婚夫婦表彰｜熊本日日新聞社". 熊本日日新聞社 (in Japanese). 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
^ "90-million-year-old tooth unearthed in Kyushu, may provide clues on mammal evolution in Asia". The Japan Times. 2017-08-24. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
^ "MSU expands cooperative relationship with Japanese town". Montana State University. Retrieved 2022-10-22.