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Ready to Grow at ARI? Calling Japanese Participants for the 2026 Academic Year!

Did you know that Japanese can also enroll in ARI? Many people might imagine that our participants coming from overseas. However, we actually welcome Japanese participants as well!
To help you learn more, we’ve put together a clear and simple FAQ covering what you can study at ARI, tuition fees, required English proficiency, and the career paths of graduates. Please take a look!
For details regarding international participant recruitment, please see the following page: Admissions – Asian Rural Institute

Q1. What can I learn at ARI?
You will gain the essential skills to become a Rural Leader. This means becoming a leader who is rooted in the local community, respects local resources and the environment, and serves to improve people’s lives and solve regional issues.The Curriculum: Three Core Pillars
ARI curriculum is built on three pillars: Servant Leadership, Foodlife, and Learning Community.

1. Servant Leadership: You will learn concepts such as active listening and non-violent communication. By taking turns as group leaders, you will practice a “service-oriented” leadership style—serving the people rather than a traditional top-down approach.
   
2. Foodlife: “Foodlife” is a term coined by ARI to express that “Food and Life are inseparable.” You will learn organic farming techniques that are friendly to both people and the environment—methods that can be practiced without expensive machinery. In a time where food security is becoming a global concern, learning to take responsibility for what we eat is more important than ever.
   
3. Learning Community: ARI requires a flexible heart and mind ready for self-reflection and change. We view daily challenges—even those that overturn our values—as opportunities for growth. It is a place to connect and learn with people who share similar values, despite having different backgrounds.

Voice of a Graduate: “ARI is not just about organic farming and leadership; it is first and foremost a place where you grow as a human being. Through dialogue with others and yourself, I gained a foundation for how I want to live my life. I highly recommend ARI to anyone who wants to share values and grow together in a diverse community.” (Chigira Hasumi, 2017 Graduate)

Q2. What is the difference between a Participant and a Volunteer?
Participants join the Rural Leaders Training Program on equal footing with international participants. You will attend all lectures and practical training and share a room with international participants for the most intensive experience. Volunteers work in various sections—such as the farm, kitchen, or office—to support the community life and the training program.

Voice of a Graduate: “Having experienced being a participant, an graduate intern, and a staff member, I felt the most intense discussions and dialogues happened when I was a participant. Sharing diverse perspectives with people from different cultures remains a wonderful memory.” (Ryo Maki, 2019 Graduate)

Q3. How much is the tuition?
For the 9-month training:

• Tuition: 700,000 JPY
• Lab/Practical Fee: 260,000 JPY (Additional dormitory and food fees are 30,000 JPY per month each.) Note: If you choose to become a Graduate Intern, you can continue your studies for another year with only living expenses.

Q4. I’m not confident in my English. Is that okay?
English proficiency is not a criterion for selection. However, since all training is conducted in English, we recommend studying before you join. What matters most is your attitude and willingness to communicate, rather than fluency or technical skill.

Voice of a Graduate: “I was worried about my English, and it was hard when I couldn’t express myself at first. But my classmates encouraged me. Since no one is a native speaker, everyone tries their best to understand each other.” (Moe Koyama, 2009 Graduate)

Q5. What are the career paths after graduation?
Our Japanese graduates are active in a wide range of fields, including international cooperation (such as JICA), local farming, community development, education, welfare, and the private sector.

Voice of a Graduate: “The learning at ARI is incredibly diverse and goes far beyond agricultural techniques or rural development. From my personal experience, I believe what you learn at ARI can be fully applied to fields like social welfare and education as well.” (Makiko Nakamura, 2008 Graduate – Special Needs Education Assistant)

“The dialogues and discussions I had with fellow students, staff, and volunteers were invaluable. Through those conversations, I was able to think deeply about international and cross-cultural understanding, peacebuilding, servant leadership, and self-understanding. That unique environment is directly connected to my current career.” (Yuta Kimura, 2020 Graduate – Government employee)

How to Apply

• Application Deadline: Saturday, February 28, 2026
• Details for Japanese Participants: https://ari.ac.jp/en/jp-admission/

We offer campus tours upon request, so please feel free to contact us.

We are also recruiting long-term volunteers for the next academic year: https://ari.ac.jp/volunteer/

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 learned about the history of ARI as an institution and its environmental philosophy grounded in sustainable, regenerative farming. They got hands-on experience exploring soil health, such as when they made their own natural fertilizer, bokashi, a technique they hoped to apply on the St. Olaf campus when they return.

The students also visited the Nasu region to study elements of Japan’s environmental history. ARI staff brought them to important sites along the Nasu canal, which first opened the region to agricultural development over 150 years ago, and to several regional farms of varying sizes. The students learned the background and current status of Fukushima prefecture and the impacts of the nuclear power plant meltdown, and heard about the history of organic agriculture in Japan.

Their stay at ARI was not simply a study trip, however. The students joined in all aspects of the ARI community life, including helping cook meals and assisting with farm work. They cleaned carrots, treading on wheat, and more. They enjoyed the ARI life so much, they ended their two weeks stay by hosting a pizza party in the ARI dining hall, Koinonia!

ARI is deeply grateful to St. Olaf for visiting our campus and breaking bread with us as part of their studies.

If you’re interested in planning a study program at ARI for you or your students, contact us today!

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 steadfast support.

In the coming academic year, we will continue to move forward, step by step, on the path to peace rooted in the soil. We look forward to your continued support.

As an open place of learning

At ARI, alongside the nine‑month Rural Leaders Training Program, we also welcome trainees from a variety of organizations, including sending bodies of overseas graduates and the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.

One student from the specialized agriculture Ainō High School, Ōsuke, has been training at ARI since last spring. On January 27, he presented the results of his learning to the community. While living alongside people from diverse cultural backgrounds, he deepened his studies on the farm, focusing especially on pig raising.

Another long‑term farm trainee this year, Kōshi, is a Catholic priest and a 2006 graduate of ARI. At a traditional farmhouse in Shinshū, he provides a place for farm work and community gatherings. To independently manage his own farm, he returned to ARI to learn how to operate agricultural machinery.

ARI Farm Manager Sakurai said of trainees like Ōsuke and Kōshi, “Eating is at the core of human being. There is no greater joy than producing the food you eat yourself. I want people with passion to come and learn as much as they can.”

As an open learning community, ARI will continue to offer learning opportunities to people from all walks of life in the coming year. Contact us if you are interested in training at ARI!

Thank you for joining ARI Friends Day 2026!

On January 17th, we successfully held ARI Friends Day with the generous support of many people. Thank you very much to everyone who attended!

Training Assistants Veh and Jeremiya hosted a talk session, where they shared stories of their powerful work and passion within rural communities in their home countries. Many attendees also enjoyed the cakes they made and sold as the culmination of their training.

Many first-time visitors participated in Tree Climbing®, immersing themselves in nature within our forest. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Jun Tree Service for this programming.

Current working visitor Frisly Soberanis screened the short documentary film “Ways of Knowing” for which he was producer and editor. The film depicts the indomitable spirit of the Navajo people who persevered against the effects of uranium mining by the U.S. government and others on their sovereign land.

Finally, the Ohinata Marche team enlivened the Koinonia Hall with their wonderful products.

It was a day that truly highlighted our connection with our friends who support us in many different ways. We will continue to cherish and nurture these encounters and connections with you.

New Year mochi pounding

On January 19, ARI community held its New Year mochi(rice‑cake)pounding. Students from St. Olaf College, who are currently training at ARI, joined in as well. Taking turns with the kine (mallets), everyone warmed up as they pounded the rice, and then enjoyed the freshly made mochi together.