been given to residents of Ōhasama by travelers from Kyoto on their way to trade in Hokkaidō. Sister cities Ōhasama has been twinned with Berndorf, Lower Austria, since 1965. The student exchange programme between Berndorf grammar school and Ōhasama high school will be continued despite the incorporation. As part of the city of Hanamaki, Ohasama is also twinned with Hot Springs, Arkansas. As of 2007, Ōhasama Junior High School has begun a sister school partnership with Jessieville Middle School in Arkansas, thanks to a friendship forged during a visit to Hanamaki by visitors from the Jessieville School. External links Ōhasama Town Society of Commerce and Industry (in Japanese) Dissolved municipalities of Iwate Prefecture Hanamaki, Iwate