Hanamaki/Hot Springs sister city progam founder dies

Mr. Minoru Odashima, 87, Japanese business, cultural and community leader, former long-time chair of the Hanamaki International Association, and founding father of the Hanamaki-Hot Springs sister city relationship, passed away on July 28 in Hanamaki, Japan. His funeral will take place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 23 at the Hanamaki Cultural Center.

Odashima was a leader in the Japanese hospitality and pharmaceutical industries. His wife Sachiko accompanied him on several visits to Hot Springs, the first of which was the Sister City Signing Ceremony on January 15, 1993 during the annual banquet of the Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. Over the years, many Hot Springs delegates stayed in one of his hotels, particularly the Folkloro Towa.

A constant supporter, consultant and champion of the Sister City Program, Odashima led by example, teaching others about friendship in action. In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina drove many families to relocate to Hot Springs, Odashima led a campaign of nearly 4,000 students, teachers, city officials and other citizens to collect donations, many in the form of pocket change, to help put their lives back together. Even as he encouraged local donors, he expressed the hope that such actions, which expressed in tangible terms the commitment between the two communities, would serve as an example for sister cities throughout the world to follow.

Odashima sponsored many receptions and large-scale events for the program, even importing Mountain Valley water for making the coffee in his hotels. Many in Hot Springs and in Hanamaki credit Odashima as the major reason why the Hot Springs-Hanamaki friendship has grown and flourished over the years.

“Needless to say, I am so completely sorry to learn this sad news and extend my deepest sympathy to his family and friends,” said Melinda Baran, former Hot Springs mayor. “Odashima-san was a visionary man who worked very hard to bring Hot Springs and Hanamaki together as sister cities. Because of his devotion as a founder of the Sister City Program, I believe all the people of each city have become more enlightened and more aware of the need to be international citizens. And we have been equally blessed with thousands of new friendships that have blossomed between us over the past eighteen years… I believe he will be missed by all who knew him during his lifetime of service.”

“We are grateful for your faithful service to Hanamaki and to Hot Springs,” wrote former Hot Springs mayor Mike Bush upon Odashima’s retirement in 2010 as International Association chair. “It has truly been an honor to partner with you in such a worthy endeavor.”

“(Mr. Odashima’s) hospitality and generosity has personally touched so many visiting delegates from our city,” wrote Hot Springs Mayor Ruth Carney to Mrs. Sachiko Odashima. “We consider you as treasured friends.”