Director’s Report:
On October 4th, I was invited as a speaker for the Chapel Assembly Hour at Keiwa Gakuen University in Shibata City, Niigata Prefecture, to give a lecture titled “Peace from the Soil. The audience consisted mainly of about 100 first-year students (plus online attendees). Keiwa Gakuen University is a Christian liberal arts university with about 700 students. Their vision is “contributing to the local and global community by educating citizens with an international outlook who will serve others and lead a sustainable society.” I strongly felt that the university and ARI have something in common with this vision in terms of philosophy and values.
In the past, students from the affiliated Keiwa Gakuen High School used to visit ARI for work camps, but especially after the earthquake in 2011, there has not been much traffic. This time, I visited the university for the first time in 10 years and was able to update information.
Photo shows President Aiko Kanayama (right) with Professor Jiro Shimotao (Christian studies, left). In front of a large world map in the cafeteria.