Makiko Abe

On February 25th, we visited “Hahaha-no-kai Kino‐ie,” a certified center for early childhood education and care in Saitama.After joining the morning service and playtime, we had the wonderful opportunity to share about ARI and Malawi.  The highlight of the day was definitely the introduction to Malawi by our training assistant, Veh! Using pictures of animals and food, she captured everyone’s imagination. It was so heartening to see the children raising their hands so eagerly during the Q&A session.After all the fun and interaction, we enjoyed a delicious, heartfelt school lunch … Read more

Join Kibo Alliance in Kenya this June

From Feb 16–18, ARI hosted a 3-day NVC (Nonviolent Communication) workshop for our staff, led by Nozomi Kuriyama and Mari Saito from NVC Japan Network. Marking our third year of learning NVC, it feels as though we’ve finally stood at the “starting line.” NVC is a way of connecting that moves beyond judgment or criticism. Instead, it focuses on listening to our “Feelings” and the underlying “Needs”—the things we truly value. As we grow older, it becomes harder to listen to our inner voices, often making it difficult to nurture … Read more

At 12:30 PM, staff, volunteers, and participants finish their morning work and gather in the dining hall, ready for a good meal. Today’s Menu: From the fields and poultry houses to the kitchen, this nutritious lunch is prepared by many caring hands. We share, we appreciate, and we say “Itadakimasu”—savoring the life we receive.

We are thrilled to announce that ARI has been awarded the “Grand Prize” in the General Category of the 15th Kubota-Mainichi Earth Future Award.This award honors organizations and individuals tackling the 21st-century global challenges of “Food,” “Water,” and the “Environment.” Osamu Arakawa, the Director of ARI, explains why nurturing rural leaders is so important:“According to research by UNEP, the peasant food web—small-scale farming villages spreading organically like a spider’s web—supports 70% of the world’s population by using limited resources: only 25% of the world’s farmland, 10% of fossil fuels, and … Read more

On February 7th and 8th, a two-day activity report session by Ms. Naomi Iwamoto from Japan Overseas Christian Medical Cooperative Service (JOCS) was held at ARI and UCCJ Nishinasuno Church. Despite the cold snap that hit over the weekend, many people attended. We listened intently to the profound life stories Ms. Iwamoto shared, as she spoke about each child by name. In Bangladesh, children with disabilities often have no choice but to be tied to a pillar in their homes, kept locked away, or left to wander the streets during … Read more

Application Deadline: Saturday, February 28, 2026

In wintertime, the ARI campus typically gets quiet. Participants have returned home, the farm fields are frozen, and ARI community members recharge while preparing for the next class. This year, however, the ARI community was abuzz with a different type of learner: college students from St. Olaf College, based in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. Undergrads specializing in environmental science and Japanese area studies, the students came for a winter session special class on environmental issues in Japan, and ARI played the host for two weeks of the course. St. Olaf students … Read more

At ARI, alongside the nine‑month Rural Leaders Training Program, we also welcome trainees from a variety of organizations, including sending bodies of overseas graduates and the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. One student from the specialized agriculture Ainō High School, Ōsuke, has been training at ARI since last spring. On January 27, he presented the results of his learning to the community. While living alongside people from diverse cultural backgrounds, he deepened his studies on the farm, focusing especially on pig raising. Another long‑term farm trainee this year, Kōshi, is a … Read more

On January 19, ARI community held its New Year mochi(rice‑cake)pounding. Students from St. Olaf College, who are currently training at ARI, joined in as well. Taking turns with the kine (mallets), everyone warmed up as they pounded the rice, and then enjoyed the freshly made mochi together.