River and the 1st letter of 農耕 (farming) which can be written in katakana as ノ and pronounced "no". This symbol was decided upon by a public competition on the town’s 70th anniversary (1967) Another symbol of Imakane is a large windmill located in the center of town where the old train station stood. It is called "De Moren Imakane". The Name "De Moren" is Dutch for "windmill". In Spring the tulips come into bloom and is one of the symbols for Imakane. Schools Due to the steadily decreasing population, a number of schools have closed in recent years, including Yatsuka, Kinbara, Hanaishi and Kamioka elementary schools. Imakane Junior High School has an exchange program with Burnside High School in Christchurch, New Zealand. Burnside High School students studying Japanese last visited Imakane in July 2016. Seven Imakane students visited Burnside High School in 2013. 2008 marked the 20th anniversary of the mutual exchange between the two groups, and Burnside Vice-Principal Mrs. Hume visited Imakane along with a number of students. Special events were held to mark the occasion, along with the signing of a Friendship agreement between Imakane and Burnside High School. Notable people from Imakane Nobukazu Kuriki, mountaineer and entrepreneur Hiroshi Suzuki, bobsledder Chiyozakura Teruo, sumo wrestler References External links Official Website Towns in Hokkaido