News
ARI Staff Training: Nonviolent Communication
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
Lunchtime at ARI: Savoring Life!
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.
Join us tomorrow for the award commemorative activity report meeting of the “15th Kubota-Mainichi Earth Future Award”!
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
Peace that comes from the little ones
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
Ready to Grow at ARI? Calling Japanese Participants for the 2026 Academic Year!
Application Deadline: Saturday, February 28, 2026
[Restored] Notice Regarding the Resumption of Website and Payment Services
Thank you for your continued support of the Asian Rural Institute. Recently, we experienced technical difficulties that resulted in unstable access to our website and the unavailability of certain pages and payment functions. We are pleased to report that system recovery work is now complete, and all services have returned to normal operation. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and concern this caused, particularly to those of you who were considering making a donation during our campaign period. All systems are currently operating normally, including the following: ARI Winter Donation … Read more
St. Olaf College Students Explore Environmental Learning and Community Life at ARI
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
Apology and Report Regarding System Failure and Partial Service Suspension
To our community and partners, Thank you very much for your continued understanding and support of our school’s activities. We have recently detected unauthorized access (malware infection exploiting a system vulnerability) on some of the web servers operated by our school. In response, we have performed an emergency shutdown of the affected servers, prioritizing the safety of our users. We sincerely apologize for any concern or inconvenience this may cause. We would like to report on the current status and our subsequent actions as follows: 1. Incident Overview and Timeline … Read more
To our dear supporters who walk alongside us: Report on the conclusion of our Winter Fundraising Campaign
Thank you for your warm support for our Christmas & Winter Donation Campaign! The Winter Campaign at ARI has now come to a close. We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your heartfelt donations and words of encouragement. The contributions we received will be carefully used to support the activities of rural leaders from Asia, Africa, and beyond, as they learn together and work toward self-reliance. This winter has been a poignant reminder that our journey toward “That We May Live Together” is made possible only through your … Read more
