ARI is hosting a NGO Village booth at Fuji Rock ’23 starting today! Special workshops will be held! InterFM radio program “Lazy Sunday” interview on the 3rd day of the event.

ARI is hosting a NGO Village booth at Fuji Rock ’23 starting today!

Special workshops will be held. InterFM radio “Lazy Sunday” interview on the 3rd day of the event.
ARI is hosting special workshops at our NGO Village booth at Fuji Rock from Friday, July 28 to Sunday, July 30, and will be interviewed about our booth on InterFM radio program “Lazy Sunday” on Sunday, July 30 from 1:05-1:20PM.

ARI, a multicultural community from more than 20 countries, is a self-sufficient organic farm that offers globally impactful leadership training programs. We will be hosting a booth at the NGO Village at Fuji Rock ’23. Moreover, ARI will be offering a variety of unique workshops, such as a lecture on how to wear the traditional Indian sari, a mini English conversation class with Australian and American English speakers, and an interactive lesson on how to make organic fertilizer from everyday items! These special workshops will be held at the NGO Village from July 28 (Fri.) through July 30 (Sun.) to spread awareness about ARI and our activities.

Also happening this weekend is an interview about ARI’s Fuji Rock booth! It will be aired on the InterFM radio program “Lazy Sunday” on July 30 (Sun.), from 1:05-1:20PM. Please enjoy the talk about “Sustainability, radio, and ARI”.

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary commemorative event to be held on September 16, ARI will also launch a renewed website to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ARI! More details will be announced as they become available. Please take a look at this site as well.

50th Anniversary Commemorative Website

JP: https://ari.ac.jp/50th-anniv

EN: https://ari.ac.jp/en/50th-anniv

ARI will appear on the InterFM radio program “Lazy Sunday”

ARI’s crowdfunding project and Fuji Rock exhibit have led to an appearance on InterFM radio’s “Lazy Sunday,” hosted by George Kackle and Maya Watanabe.

The hosts will feature ARI as one of the “villagers” of the NGO Village at Fuji Rock, where NGOs and Fuji Rock guests work together to address and solve social & global problems.

This Sunday, July 30, from 13:05-13:20, ARI staff members, including Manoshi — who is a dual citizen of India and Japan– and Jack, who grew up in NYC, will try to introduce ARI’s connection to the SDGs, ARI’s Fuji Rock booth, and ARI’s initiatives in a new and fun way! Furthermore, you’ll get to know more about the ARI community by listening to Manoshi talk about her culture shock after coming to east Asia, saying, “In Japan, there are not cows everywhere!”. And Jack, who was born in New York, will talk about how his English level has actually improved since coming to ARI in Japan! Please tune in for a light-hearted and important conversation about ARI and our initiatives!

July 30 (Sun) 13:05-13:20 interFM George Cockle’s Lazy Sunday | InterFM 89.7MHz TOKYO

https://www.interfm.co.jp/lazy

ARI will present Fuji Rock ’23 NGO Village Booth Workshop Date: July 28 (Fri.)-July 30 (Sun.), 10:00~17:00
Location: NGO Village Booth at Fuji Rock ’23 @ Naeba Ski Resort in Yuzawa-machi, Niigata Prefecture
Fee: 1,000 yen for each workshop Duration: 30 minutes for each workshop

Sari, which is a traditional Indian garment, will be available to try on and learn how to wear!

Workshop for crowdfunding participants only

Every country has its own traditional clothing, just as Japan has its own yukata and kimono! You will try on and learn how to wear the Indian sari, which can be completed with just one large piece of cloth!

Experience the world’s hand games!

This workshop is only for crowdfunding participants.

How do people in Malaysia play “Teodama” in Japan? How is Shogi in Japan played in Indonesia? How did children in those countries across the sea play when they were children playing until sunset? Let’s learn by playing mini games from around the world together!

Participatory art board

We will have a large white cloth for everyone who stops by to draw, paste, and creatively decorate with their own artistic flare! The theme of the artwork will be chosen at random from the many themes provided by ARI, and participants will be asked to draw it on-the-spot from memory! Can you draw a “goat” at this very moment? What shape are the horns? How big is the tail? Where are the ears? How about experiencing “what you know but don’t know”?

ARI is a five-senses learning institute!

ARI is a self-sufficient school where students grow, prepare, and eat three meals each day on their own! There is a lot of waste in the process of growing vegetables in the field, cooking them, and eating them. Such vegetables are turned into fertilizers and used as nutrients for the fields again. However, throwing them into the field as they are will not work. The key is fermentation! At ARI, we use a wide variety of “waste” products and use them to amend our soil in various ways! We start by composting everyone’s leftover food and fermenting fertilizers. Natural yeast made by fermenting ARI’s organic flour! ARI’s livestock feed is also handmade fermented feed! Livestock manure is also fermented and used as biogas energy! This workshop is designed to learn about ARI’s fermentation techniques through all five senses!

Rice seed sowing simulation experience

Many Japanese people eat rice every day, but how many of us know how to grow it? In this workshop, we will show you how rice seeds are planted and what its growing process looks like through a game! Growing rice is a long and arduous process, but since it is also an indispenable staple food in Asia, please take this special opportunity to learn more about rice! Please join us!

English blue sky classroom

The shortcut to learn any language is to speak it a lot! Since English is the official language at ARI, Japanese volunteers and staff communicate in English on a daily basis. 4 native English speakers and 3 translators will accompany us when we exhibit at the NGO Village booth at Fuji Rock ’23. How about a mini English conversation class with an American-Australian pair? Translation will be available on the spot!

Quiz & Game: Let’s learn about the world!

ARI has attracted students from 62 countries in the past, and volunteers come from all over the world, including Japan, the U.S., Germany, and Australia. In such a life, there are a series of culture shocks. We will share some of these shocking aspects with you in the form of a quiz and a game!

(Q1) The staple food in many African countries is not rice, but grains and potatoes such as corn and cassava. How are they processed and eaten?

Men's Dormitory & Guest House

Participants and volunteers live in separate dormitories for men and women. The dormitory includes shared lounges, kitchens, showers, and laundry facilities. Wi-Fi is not available.

Poultry House

The poultry facilities include free-range chicken coops and a brooding house. More than 400 chickens are raised, producing over 80,000 eggs and approximately one ton of chicken meat each year.

Pig Pen

Participants learn a variety of pig farming techniques through hands-on practice. Both deep-litter and concrete-floor systems are used, and manure is recycled into biogas and fertilizer.

Goat House

Goat milk (over 200 liters annually) and meat are used for food, while manure is used as fertilizer. During the day, the goats roam freely in the pasture.

Forest

The forests surrounding the campus are managed through selective thinning for firewood and charcoal production. Leaves and other organic materials are collected for use in agriculture.

Fields

On 2.5 hectares of farmland, approximately 100 varieties of vegetables and crops are grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The entire community helps manage the fields as part of its commitment to learning and self-sufficiency.

Rice Paddies

Rice is cultivated in paddies both on and off campus. Various organic rice-growing methods are studied and practiced, including weed control and fertilization using ducks.

Workshop

The workshop is a space for repair and recycling activities. It contains machinery, welding equipment, woodworking tools, and a variety of materials.

Feed Mixing Room

Livestock feed is produced here using both manual and mechanical methods. Continuous efforts are made to improve feed quality and sustainability.

Administration Building

The first floor houses the reception area and administrative offices, while the second floor contains staff offices and the Director’s office. The Farm Shop (Agricultural Training Room) is located adjacent to the building.

ARI Shop

The shop offers ARI-grown produce, processed foods, books, and handicrafts from the home countries of ARI graduates.

Farm Shop (Agricultural Training Room)

The facility serves as the hub of agricultural activities at ARI. It includes classrooms, storage for tools and farming materials, and facilities for drying and storing crops.

Oikos Chapel

Originally a 100-year-old traditional farmhouse, the chapel has been renovated into a place of worship. Daily morning gatherings are held here, along with meditation, dialogue sessions, gospel choir practice, and other community activities. Oikos is a Greek word meaning “home.”

Manna House (Food Processing Room)

This facility is used for producing and storing processed foods such as cookies and jam. The ground floor also contains a poultry processing facility.

Fish Ponds

Fish are raised for both food and agricultural purposes.

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