Makiko Abe

Among ARI’s curriculum, one of the most “delicious” classes is this meat processing class.Mr. Koide from Neu Frank Atelier Nasu comes every year as an instructor. Using ARI’s pork as the ingredient, he teaches participants how to make sausages, bacon, roast pork, and more.Processing allows for longer storage and enables selling at higher prices than raw materials. Therefore, these food processing techniques are a subject of deep interest for many participants.We sincerely thank Mr. Koide for taking the time out of his busy schedule to provide us with such important … Read more

On the morning of the 11th, participants departed from ARI and arrived at their first destination: the predecessor of ARI, Theological Seminary for Rural Mission in Machida, Tokyo. They learned about some traditional skills of water retention from the Edo period. Although it was short, they had a good time visiting the roots of ARI. After that, they moved to Hamamatsu, and the following day, they enjoyed fellowship with Seirei Christopher kindergarten, Elementary, Jr. high, High school and Global school jr. High school students. Playing different games, experiencing new ways … Read more

From November 4th to 7th, I was invited to speak a total of 10 times over 4 days: as a preacher for the Special Worship Service during the Autumn Religious Week at Doshisha Junior and Senior High Schools, for the Chapel Hour at Doshisha Women’s College, and as a lecturer for the Doshisha Junior and Senior High School Faculty Religious Education Workshop. The total number of students at Doshisha Junior and Senior High Schools, combined with attendees at other lectures and events, exceeded 5,000. It was my first time speaking … Read more

This year again, the hard work of our farm staff and volunteers bore fruit, yielding plump, sweet potatoes. The total harvest amounted to a whopping 916kg!!We store the sweet potato in a dedicated storage at the perfect temperature, so that they will sustain the community through spring.

On the 28th of October, I was able to attend the Sri Lankan graduates gathering held in Negombo on the west coast of Sri Lanka. Eight board members and associates from AFARI (American friends of ARI) also joined us, so many graduates gathered from all over the country. Including 27 graduates from 1977 to 2018 (one from Bangladesh) and their families, plus us -participants from the US and Japan- the total attendance exceeded 70 people. Prior to the gathering, we conducted field visits to three graduate projects funded by AFARI. On the … Read more

From the 22nd to 24th of October, ARI staff Osamu Arakawa and Steven Cutting attended the ECHO Conference on Agriculture and Community Development in Chiang Mai, Thailand and met over 20 graduates in fellowship and knowledge exchange. Over the 2-day conference, experts, practitioners of the field, and interested people were able to attend workshops, plenary sessions, and direct demonstration on ECHO’s farm, deepening their understanding and sharing their knowledge about community development and agriculture practices. Osamu emphasized the importance and opportunities of collaborations between ARI and other networks, pointing out … Read more

We received wonderful photos taken by students at the Nippon Photography Institute in May. Each year, they visit ARI for a week to live alongside the ARI community and practice their photo-taking skills.Thank you so much for portraying ARI through your fresh, outside perspective!We look forward to your visit next year!

This month, ARI will publish the next issue of its English-language newsletter, Take My Hand. We’ll be looking at ARI participants and graduates working to nurture the next generation of rural leaders, thanks to the training they received at ARI. Want to know more about how ARI’s leadership model impacts future generations? Receive the next issue with a donation to ARI’s US partner, American Friends of ARI. Follow this link to donate!https://ari.ac.jp/en/donate-from-usa/

Finally, tomorrow begins the ARI’s biggest event, Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration (HTC).On the last day, we will bring you a message from our coordinators, who will oversee the event! 👐 Join us for a special Harvest Thanksgiving celebration (HTC) at ARI! It’s a time to celebrate the season’s bounty and the hard work of our community. Let’s enjoy a simple meal, share stories, and give thanks. Your presence would make it even more joyful. Please come! (Messaged by HTC Coordinator, Lily and Nao) ▶ Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration (HTC), ARI’s largest annual event … Read more

Finally, this weekend marks ARI’s biggest event, Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration (HTC)!We’ll share the key highlights from each respective committee! 👐 🍽Catch people’s stomach by diverse foodFood is life.  Our life needs spice. Food adds spice to our life, as spices add taste and flavor to the food. ARI is a diverse community. We have people from more than 22 countries living together under one roof. Which makes ARI a global village. So, we spice up our life with the diversity of people that live together. During this year’s HTC, we wish to bring before you a variety of diverse, tasty and … Read more