Sister Cities: Hot Springs and Hanamaki, Japan

The sister city legacy between Hot Springs and Hanamaki began in 1993 and is an important international tie for the community.

“It [sister city] is an opportunity to break down barriers for our residents, especially for our children so that when they grow
up they are not intimidated to go to the other side of the state, the other side of the country or the other side of the world,” said program director Mary Neilson in a KTHV interview.

Hot Springs helped with relief efforts after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake ( the most powerful to hit the country) struck Japan
this March. Hanamaki is about 50 miles from Sendai, which was one of the hardest hit areas.