Introduction to sister city Ozora Town (Hokkaido)

Ozora Town is located in the Okhotsk region in northeastern Hokkaido, and was established on March 31, 2006, when the towns of Memanbetsu and Higashimokoto merged.

It has a population of 6,510 (as of the end of June 2024) and an area of 343.66 square kilometers (approximately 20 times the size of Inagi City).

Home to Memanbetsu Airport, the air gateway to Okhotsk, the town is rich in nature throughout the four seasons, including Lake Abashiri, Mt. Mokoto, Fairy Tale Hill, and Higashimokoto Shibazakura Park.
The main industry is agriculture, with wheat, potatoes, sugar beets (a raw material for granulated sugar), beans, and vegetables, and a wide variety of other crops are cultivated, including rice, which is the easternmost region of Japan.

• Town tree Nanakamado, Shirakaba
• Town flowers: moss phlox, skunk cabbage
• Town Skills Volleyball

The name Ozora Town was chosen to represent the idea that the residents live with dreams and hopes, feeling refreshed, under the clear blue sky and the fertile land that spreads out beneath it.

The shores of Lake Memanbetsu, Abashiri Lake, located in Abashiri Quasi-National Park, are so beautiful and rich in nature that they have been selected as one of Hokkaido's top 100 landscapes.
Along the lakeside, there are clusters of skunk cabbage, a natural monument, and in the summer you can enjoy clam picking on the beach.

In 1986, an exchange of works by children introduced by a former metropolitan high school principal from the former Onnamanbetsu town was the impetus, and the project began with a focus on the field of education (children's exchange).
A sister city relationship was established in 1991 (at the time of the former Memanbetsu Town), and after that, Memanbetsu Town and Higashimokoto Village merged, and in July 2006 they were re-signed as sister cities.
Today, exchanges take place in a wide range of fields, including not only education, but also culture, sports, industry, and economics.

Inagi City and Ozora Town celebrated the 30th anniversary of their sister city partnership in November 2021. This relationship has continued since it was established with Memanbetsu Town in 1991, before the two towns merged.

Currently, interaction with Ozora Town is deeply rooted among the citizens of Inagi, with exchanges between artistic and cultural groups and stalls set up at citizen festivals. As the social situation changes rapidly, the continued exchange that transcends generations is the result of residents on both sides cherishing and nurturing the flames of exchange. This bond has become an irreplaceable asset for both local governments.

"I want to work" "I want to live in two places."
Why not try to get involved with Ozora Town in a way that suits you? (External link)