Residents

• Board District Map
  
• CiviKidz
  
• CodeRED Information
  
• Farmers Market
  
• FAQs
  
• Recycling Information
  
• Sister City Program
• MPO (Transportation Planning)

Sister City Program

Overview

The sister city relationship between Hot Springs and Hanamaki, Japan officially began on January 15, 1993, after a group of Hanamaki residents combed the United States and found Hot Springs to be a perfect fit. Since then, many friendships, greater understanding, and a mutual respect have grown out of the steady cultural, educational and artistic exchanges between cities.

The people of Hanamaki, population 106,414, rely on tourism as a chief revenue source. Their bathhouses feature thermal waters from nearby hot springs. The city is surrounded by rolling hills and a low mountain range. Hanamaki is home to the late Miyazawa Kenji, Japan’s most illustrious poet, along with many other artists and poets, giving the city its rich artistic heritage. Hanamaki also has the only airport in the region.

Each January, Hanamaki sends a student delegation to Hot Springs. Sister school relationships have been established between Sasama Daini Elementary School and Fountain Lake Elementary School, as well as Hanamaki Higashi High School and Lakeside High School. Additionally, in the Spring of 2007, Hot Springs and Jessieville Middle Schools became sister schools to Hanamaki and Ohasama Junior High Schools, respectively, during signing ceremonies at both schools in Hot Springs.The students learn from each other through home stay experiences, classroom visits and Web site exchanges. According to Mayor Mike Bush, “Our children are our future, and along with their teachers, they have done much to bring our cities, and the world, closer together.”

Hanamaki officials have shown a keen interest in Garvan Woodland Gardens from its inception. The Japanese influence is easily seen in the Garden of the Pine Wind, which the Japanese named and provided design input. They also helped name and dedicate the Sunrise Bridge, and presented a pagoda sculpture to further grace the gardens.

In 2001, Hanamaki officials helped dedicate the Hanamaki Permanent Exhibit at the Hot Springs Civic & Convention Center. The museum-quality exhibit features a core sampling of contemporary Japanese folk art, as well as an authentic Deer Dancer costume, a famous symbol of Hanamaki culture. The costume was presented as a gift from Hanamaki to Hot Springs during grand opening ceremonies for the Hot Springs Convention Center in December 1998. Hanamaki officials have also attended and shown support for the Summit Arena grand opening in 2003, as well as the opening of the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock in 2004.

Teacher/Student Exchange Program

The Hot Springs National Park Sister City Foundation promotes goodwill and understanding between cities through, among other programs, its teacher scholarship program. Each year, area teachers are chosen to spend a week in Hanamaki. They share their rich cultural and educational experiences and lessons learned with their students upon their return.

The City of Hot Springs partners with the Sister City Foundation to strengthen its ties with Hanamaki through continuous student and citizen exchanges. In 2003, the Hot Springs Board of Directors approved a part-time position to help further the progress made in the first 10 years. The Sister City Program Coordinator's activities include coordinating all communications between Hanamaki and Hot Springs; overseeing delegation visits and other special events, promoting the program to schools and civic clubs; and publishing and distributing the quarterly Sister City Journal, now available online at www.cityhs.net/docs.htm. Recent activities such as art, music and dance exhibitions, needlepoint and dollmaking classes, cooking demonstrations, language classes and a Japanese tea ceremony have brought the program to a level where many Hot Springs citizens can participate more fully in the program.

The city’s Web site contains a Japanese page which offers basic information on Hot Springs and encourages visitors to consider a trip to its sister city. Hanamaki’s Web site can be reached at http://www.city.hanamaki.iwate.jp/english/index.html

For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities for the program, call 501-545-6960.

2013 Teacher travel application - PDF

Sister City student art contest poetry winners - PDF

 

News

Hot Springs Sister City Program wins Sister Cities International’s Best Overall Program Award   2012 SCI Conference Report - PDF
WASHINGTON, DC – Hot Springs Sister City Program has won Sister Cities International’s 2011 Best Overall Program Award for a city with a population between 25,001 and 50,000. The award recognizes sister city programs that demonstrate outstanding accomplishments in advancing the goals and mission of the sister cities movement. Hot Springs’ program is multi-faceted and includes citizen exchanges, cultural exchanges, and educational exchanges with sister city Hanamaki, Japan. In 2011, in the wake of the devastating tsunami in Japan, Hot Springs also included the “Compassionate Exchange”. Hot Springs assisted Hanamaki in caring for more than 1000 evacuees from the coastal area that streamed into the city. The program raised $25,000 through fundraising efforts. Their efforts were widely recognized by local and international media as well as the U.S. Department of State. 2011 also included student and teacher delegation visits. A 10 member citizen delegation from Hot Springs was fortunate to receive the warmth and hospitality of the people of Hanamaki. The program therefore rallied a wide-variety of community members in 2011 and was successful in bringing the two cities closer. Hot Springs Sister City Program is a public/private partnership involving the City of Hot Springs, Visit Hot Springs (formerly the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau) and Hot Springs National Park Sister City Foundation. The Sister Cities International Annual Awards are awarded in several categories. Award winners will be honored at a special luncheon ceremony on July 14 during the Sister Cities International 56th Annual Conference in Jacksonville, Florida. About Sister Cities International Sister Cities International facilitates nearly 2,000 partnerships in 136 countries on six continents between 600 communities in the United States with similar municipalities abroad. Sister Cities International represents citizen diplomats who work tirelessly to promote the organizations’ mission of creating world peace and cultural understanding through economic and sustainable development programs, youth and education projects, arts and culture, and humanitarian assistance. Facebook: Sister Cities International; Twitter: @SisterCityIntl; Website: www.sister-cities.org

 

 

NEW! 2012 Winter Sister City Journal

Sister City Journal Newsletter Archives

Photo Gallery

Video Gallery

Reports

2008 Student Exchange Program - PDF
2009 Citizen Delegation - PDF
2010 Hot Springs Citizen Delegation - PDF
2010 Hot Springs Student Delegation Essays - PDF
2012 SCI Conference Report - PDF

Additional information

Kagura Translation - PDF
Hanamaki International Exchange Association
Hello Japan (Kids Web Japan)