Iwata was Mountain View's first Sister City and was established in 1974. Iwata is currently a city of approximately 140,000 people. The City is located about midway between Osaka and Tokyo, in western Shizuoka Prefecture, on the Pacific coast of central Honshu. The river Tenryugawa lies to the City's eastern bank.

Principal products from Iwata are green tea, mandarin oranges and melons. Iwata is famous for its muskmelons and the city also is a major producer of automobiles and motorcycles. Also, stone implements, pottery and ornaments dating back to 10,000 years have been found in Iwata. Iwata has been inhabited since this time because of its mild climate and rich soil.

The city emblem was formally designated as the city flag when Iwata became a city in 1948. The surroundings circle stands for "I" of Iwata as well as for "WA. "WA" also means peach in the Japanese language. As a whole, the emblem has form of "TA" of Kanji (Chinese character). The diamond shaped part in the center of the emblem symbolizes the glory of Iwata extending in all directions.