Jack Lichten

Originally published in 2020, we are republishing this piece to coincide with the upcoming issue of Take My Hand, containing updates from graduates in Sierra Leone. Get to know these four Participants during their time in Ghana. by Yukiko Oyanagi, Associate Director At the end of March 2020, when participants began to arrive in Japan, we heard the news, “Ghana closed the border. Four Sierra Leone students were left behind!”  Participants from overseas come to Japan after receiving a visa from the Japanese embassy in their country. Sierra Leone does … Read more

by Joyce Ray, ARI Volunteer Originally written in 2023, we are republishing this text to accompany the upcoming issue of Take My Hand, containing updates from graduates in Sierra Leone. Get to know Ami from her time at ARI in this article. Aminata “Ami” Conteh’s passion for women’s empowerment shines whenever she talks about her vision for the ten villages where she works. As a Field Officer with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone, Ami helps develop a feeling of community among the villages of many tribes and cultures, … Read more

In April 2025, directorship of the Asian Rural Institute changed from Tomoko Arakawa to Osamu Arakawa. Osamu, formerly the Farm Manager and Education Director, assumed the role while Tomoko shifted into a Director of Development & Outreach role. As part of the transition, the two staff members spoke with Jack Lichten, Ecumenical Relations Coordinator, about the challenges and successes of leading ARI. Jack: Tomoko, thank you for your ten years of service. What stands out the most from this past decade? Tomoko: When I became director in 2015, the campus … Read more

This week, ARI and American Friends of ARI are fundraising for rural leaders to travel to ARI, with our Little by Little fundraising matching campaign on GlobalGiving. Read our story and consider supporting them with a donation. Spring marks a new class of participants at ARI. Rural leaders are preparing for their journey to Japan.  For some ARI participants, this is their first time on a plane. Others travel more than a thousand miles to attend the Rural Leaders Training Program in Tochigi, Japan, leaving their families and community work behind … Read more

This week, ARI and American Friends of ARI are fundraising for rural leaders to travel to ARI, with our Little by Little fundraising matching campaign on GlobalGiving. Read our story and consider supporting them with a donation. Spring marks a new class of participants at ARI. Rural leaders are preparing for their journey to Japan.  For some ARI participants, this is their first time on a plane. Others travel more than a thousand miles to attend the Rural Leaders Training Program in Tochigi, Japan, leaving their families and community work behind … Read more

This week, ARI and American Friends of ARI are fundraising for rural leaders to travel to ARI, with our Little by Little fundraising matching campaign on GlobalGiving. Read our story and consider supporting them with a donation. Spring marks a new class of participants at ARI. Rural leaders are preparing for their journey to Japan.  For some ARI participants, this is their first time on a plane. Others travel more than a thousand miles to attend the Rural Leaders Training Program in Tochigi, Japan, leaving their families and community work behind … Read more

This week, ARI and American Friends of ARI are fundraising for rural leaders to travel to ARI, with our Little by Little fundraising matching campaign on GlobalGiving. Read our story and consider supporting them with a donation. Spring marks a new class of participants at ARI. Rural leaders are preparing for their journey to Japan.  For some ARI participants, this is their first time on a plane. Others travel more than a thousand miles to attend the Rural Leaders Training Program in Tochigi, Japan, leaving their families and community work … Read more

During September 18~22, Global Giving will match 50% of donations to ARI

As part of the 50th anniversary, ARI staff began preparing the 2 hectares of forested land to integrate them with the rest of the campus, including the farm and livestock areas. Wellesley College intern Madeleine Speagle interviewed two forest management staff members,  Assistant Director Osamu Arakawa and General Affairs staffer Raku Izawa. Raku also guided a tour of the forest paths and landscape. These interviews were summarized in an article for Take My Hand, but we’ve provided the interviews here for your interest.  The interviews have been edited for brevity … Read more