News

Want to take a break from your daily work or studies for a while?Thinking about how you want to live your life?Want to encounter things you’ve never experienced before? Volunteering at ARI is a perfect opportunity for you! Why not take part in our work while living an agriculture-centered life in a multicultural community? There are many ways to get involved, including farm work, cooking, office work, and more! Duration: 2 months to 1 year (preference given to those who can stay 9 months or longer)Start period: Late March is … Read more

Last week’s community event brought us up to the Nasu mountains, where we enjoyed snow-viewing. For many of our participants, it is the first time to experience snow and being in such cold temperatures – the second the less pleasant one. All community members enjoyed playing in the snow, building snow-people and some snowball fights. In the view of the white environment suddenly the joy of playing like a child gets reawakened in everyone. This was rewarded with hot chocolate and the great view. To warm ourselves up we gathered … Read more

From Dec 1st – Jan 31st

Participants, who had traveled by bus from Minamata to Hiroshima (The final training location of this trip) for the entire day, visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum the following day, November 20. They first heard from legacy successor Ms. Sachiko Hiraoka. She shared about her aunt Sadae Sasaoka’s experience of the atomic bomb. She was 13 and happened to be at home when the bomb dropped 3.5 kms away. She shared the horrors her aunt saw, of the pain of losing family members, and the hopelessness of war. Ms. Hiraoka … Read more

Hello from ARI. Starting this week, we are launching a new series on our Facebook and Instagram Stories, capturing daily life on the ARI campus through photos! “Daily Life” at ARI: A Charm That Captivates ManyWe often receive wonderful comments from volunteers and visitors to ARI, such as: “I love the life and atmosphere here.” “It’s so healing to see the fields and the changing seasons.”Therefore, to share this charm with more people and convey what ARI is like “right now,” we decided to deliver photos that capture ARI “in … Read more

Today, the fall Used Book Market started! Best sellers, paperbacks, picture books art books, and many more, all donated from across Japan, will be available for 100 yen and up. On November 1, 3, and 8, come enjoy Indian curry and chai produced by our skilled ARI chef. Fall is the season for reading. Why not seek out new words in the quiet former Missionary House, away from the noisy world? Fri, October 31 – Sat, November 8 *Closed on Sun, November 2 OPEN11:00-16:00 Venue: Former Missionary House (adjacent to … Read more

ARI conducts evacuation drills three times a year for the entire community.For many international participants and volunteers, this is their first experience with disaster preparedness training.Therefore, learning how to respond when a disaster strikes is critically important. That day, following an evacuation drill, we conducted a shelter management simulation based on the scenario that ARI campus became an evacuation shelter. We thought together about the responses required in an emergency, using a game-like method.

Best sellers, paperbacks, picture books art books, and many more, all donated from across Japan, will be available for 100 yen and up.On November 1, 3, and 8, come enjoy Indian curry and chai produced by our skilled ARI chef.Fall is the season for reading. Why not seek out new words in the quiet former Missionary House, away from the noisy world? Fri, October 31 – Sat, November 8 *Closed on Sun, November 2OPEN11:00-16:00Venue: Former Missionary House (adjacent to Nasu Seminar House) 420-33, Tsukinukizawa, Nasushiobara, Tochigi Indian Curry & Chai … Read more

Once again this year, the rice paddies at the Asian Rural Institute (ARI) ripened to a beautiful golden color. Our entire community—participants, volunteers, and staff from countries across Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Japan —came together for the annual rice harvest! The small seedlings we planted in the spring grew strong under the summer sun, bearing a rich and plentiful harvest. Under a brilliant clear autumn sky, we all got muddy together, carefully cutting each stalk by hand with sickles. Songs and dances in many languages filled the air, … Read more

Environmental pollution caused by economic development, and the role of leaders who confront such issues, is one of the key topics in the ARI training. On September 18th, the participants went on an observation trip to sites related to the Ashio Copper Mine Pollution Incident, the first major environmental pollution disaster in Japan. They visited various locations over a wide area, including the former villages of Matsuki and Yanaka, which were abandoned due to air pollution and the making of a basin. They also visited the area of ​​Morita in … Read more