Come visit the ARI campus for fun activities and our community atmosphere. Enjoy fellowship with the ARI community and local neighborhood through our fun events!
We have many fun events including MINNGOs Live Gospel Choir Performance.
Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026 10:00-15:00
Venue: Asian Rural Institute
Events
I. ARI Graduate Talk Session
Two ARI graduates have returned to ARI as Training Assistants. Hear stories from their home communities!
Jeremiya Narzary (India, ’19)
Venitta Kaduya (Malawi, ’18)
II. Chocotto Farm & Forest
Try Tree Climbing® and see the world from the tops of a tree! Ropes and a saddle provided for anyone from age 6. (reservation required)
https://ari.ac.jp/entry-form-chocotto-farm-2026-tree-climbing/
We also have a tour of the ARI Forest!!
Why not enjoy your “first climb of 2026” in the rich forests of Nasushiobara at ARI!?
On 1/17(Sat), during ARI Friends Day, we will hold a “Tree Climbing” experience where you can climb safely using specialized ropes and saddles!
The world viewed from the treetops is sure to be full of new discoveries! You will wear professional safety gear and receive a lecture on how to climb, so beginners can participate with peace of mind.
With the cooperation of the local “JUN TREE SERVICE Co., Ltd.,” professional Arborist® instructors will teach you carefully, so first-timers and children can take on the challenge safely!
This activity is part of the “Chokotto Farm Forest” program, which nurtures a sustainable environment and shared learning.
We have also prepared special “Wooden Name Cards” for all participants!
These are actually made from cedar trees grown right here in the ARI forest, crafted by local manufacturer in Nasushiobara. They were processed by Shimakura Sangyo, the manufacturer of “Kyogi” (thin wood shavings), which are also famously used for the packaging of Yokohama’s shumai dumplings. They are the only Kyogi manufacturer in Tochigi and one of the few left in Japan.
Excellent in breathability and antibacterial properties, this eco-friendly material returns to the soil. It recently became a hot topic after being adopted at the “Deeper Learning Japan” educational conference.
Come touch the local nature at ARI and play to your heart’s content in the winter forest!
“Let’s meet people, let’s touch the forest.” We are looking forward to seeing you there!
III. Film Screening from the USA at ARI!
On January 17, as part of ARI Friends Day, ARI will host a screening of a recent documentary about Native American rights and protesting nuclear proliferation.
Ways of Knowing is a 25-minute immersive documentary about Navajo resilience to protect health, tradition, and land after enduring extensive uranium mining by the United States government, beginning in the late 1940s and lasting until the 1970s. Eight decades after the Manhattan Project which birthed the nuclear-industrial complex, Navajo and other Indigenous communities of the American Southwest continue to suffer from contaminated land and waterways, and scores of people sickened and killed by toxic exposure. But since long before this region became the epicenter of uranium extraction and nuclear weapons production, the landscape and its elements – including uranium – have been considered sacred.
IV. Ohinata Marche
Alongside ARI Friends Day, the local market group Ohinata Marche will host their January market. Ohinata Marche is an organic market which aims to collaboratively create a locally sustainable lifestyle.
