<Cancellation of ARI Friends’ Day scheduled for Mon, July 17>
Since last week, there have been several cases of covid-19 infection in ARI.
In order to prevent further spread of infection, we have decided to cancel the “ARI Friends Day” scheduled for Mon, July 17.
We are sorry to those who had made plans to attend the event, but thank you for your kind understanding.
We are considering the possibility of holding a similar event at another time.
We hope to make a further announcement by mid-August, so please bear with us for a while longer.
The Weekend Chocotto Farming, which was scheduled to be held on ARI Friends’ Day, has also been cancelled. We are planning to hold the event regularly from September, so please come and join us.
Next month, we will host our second ARI Friends Day, a festival for the many people who help support ARI. We’ll host a friends market for neighbors and former volunteers to sell goods, and a supporters gathering where ARI graduates will tell stories of their time here.
We look forward to welcoming you to a day of festivities. Enjoy food and music with vendors, ARI members, and volunteers, to delight mind, body, and soul.
Date
Monday, July 17 9:00-15:30 (rain or shine)
Venue
ARI
442-1 Tsukizawa, Nasushiobara-shi, Tochigi, Japan
(Search for “0287-36-3111” if using a domestic car navigation system)
Parking
ARI premises (staff will be on hand to direct you to the parking lot in some cases)
*Parking spaces are limited. If you come by train, please use a taxi.
ARI Friends Market
9:00-15:30 at Admin Building
We work and pray so that we may live supported by our natural environment, now and into the future. Come visit our farmers market, enjoy our many goods and food products, and have fun with the ARI family!
Vendors include: North Thai folk crafts, South Indian curry, Northeast Indian curry, West African clothing, baked goods and bread, organic vegetables, organic riceballs, Myanmar support activities, African fair trade foods, organic tea, foster parenting services, JOCV activities, handmade goods, used clothing (depending on weather) ARI carrot juice stand, and many more!
Food Drive (Food Bank Kenpoku): Please bring any unopened food that can be stored at room temperature and has an expiration date of at least one month. The food will be used for those who need food support, such as children’s cafeterias and food banks. Let’s change “Mottainai” food into “Arigato” (Thank you) smiles.
Please bring your own bags and tableware.
Supporters’ Gathering (Storytelling Session) 13:30-14:30 @ Classroom
ARI Graduate Livening up Tochigi!
Speaker: Hiroka Komatsubara
(2020 grad, 2022 GI, current Shioya-machi Community Development Cooperation Volunteer)
What do Japanese participants learn at ARI and how do they make the most of it?
After graduation, Ms. Komatsubara started working in Shioya Town, Tochigi, her home prefecture. As a writer for the town, she highlights various people active in Shioya. Ms. Komatsubara will talk about how her studies at ARI are useful in her current job and way of life!
The contents of this presentation are directed towards ARI supporters, but the general public is welcome.
This session will be held in Japanese.
Free of charge, no reservation required.
Same-day event – Weekend Chotto Farm
ARI and San-no-Hachi will co-host a weekend farm event on the same day as Friends Day.
Interested in experiencing a little bit of organic farming? Please join us at ARI with your children, friends, or by yourself!
Separate application and fee is required to participate. Details will be posted at a later date, so please watch our page!
This program will be hosted primarily in Japanese.
