Our Summer Donation Campaign: “Living Kindly with Neighbors” has officially kicked off!Today, we’d like to share a message from Mei Goto, the representative of the “Doshisha ARI Project”. The “Doshisha ARI Project (duari)” was born out of Doshisha University’s international
Our Summer Donation Campaign: “Living Kindly with Neighbors” has officially kicked off!
Today, we’d like to share a message from Mei Goto, the representative of the “Doshisha ARI Project”.
The “Doshisha ARI Project (duari)” was born out of Doshisha University’s international volunteer club, the “International Habitat Association.” Deeply inspired by ARI’s values, duari works to support and raise awareness of ARI’s mission.
Mei didn’t just spend time on campus at ARI—in February 2026, she also joined the ARI-organized study tour to Indonesia to visit our graduates! Witnessing their incredible work firsthand inspired her to become our very first Support Funding Partner.
“Spending time with participants at ARI and seeing the graduates thrive back in Indonesia has taught me one profound truth: they learn and act entirely ‘for their communities and the future of our planet.’
I truly hope ARI can continue to provide the same high-quality education it always has. Because I believe with all my heart in their potential to return home and spark real social change. It would be a tragic loss to narrow or cancel this invaluable study tour due to a lack of funds, closing the door on these rural community leaders’ potential.
Our power might be small. But by launching this Support Funding project, we hope to introduce ARI to as many people as possible and grow the network of supporters backing these incredible leaders worldwide. That’s why we decided to take on this challenge!”
■ Crowdfunding Campaign Starts August 1st!
We will be launching our crowdfunding campaign on the “Syncable” platform.
https://ari.ac.jp/en/campaign/update
■ Seeking “Support Funding Partners” (July 1st-)
Would you be willing to set up your own personal sub-campaign page on Syncable? You can help us to raise donations from your friends!
If you’re interested in, please contact us at [email protected].
Last week, Participants went on a short trip to Ogawa Town to meet 3 organic farmers who have supported ARI for a long time. The strong philosophy of promoting self-sufficiency and circulation guide many of the organic farming practices in Ogawa Town.
Many participants noted the connections between turning waste into biogas and biogas liquid which further can be used on fields to promote soil health. They also learned core methods that promote biodiverse fields such as the use of banker plants and living mulch on land, and the work of tadpole shrimps in the paddies. From securing fuel self-sufficiency through the use of straight vegetable oil on the farm, to reducing the use of single use plastic mulches; participants shared that they gained many valuable real-life examples that they hope to try in their home communities.
We hope they keep 1996 graduate Mr. Muneo Kaneko’s words in mind during their future endeavours, “Organic farming nurtures the community”.
Many thanks to Shimosato Farm, NPO Fudo, Kaze no Oka Farm, and Watanabe Tofu Store for their valuable time and knowledge.
(Manosi Abe Chatterjee, Curriculum Coordinator)
In June, ARI Participants learned about Global Agroecology, taught by Dr Frida Endinjok, a guest lecturer from Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture (MESA).
Participants learned what is agroecology, and how seed sovereignty is an important part of securing farmers rights and futures.
This topic is important for participants because global projections indicate that over 90% of Earth’s soils could become degraded by 2050.
When farmers have limited access to seeds, and their ability to save seeds is limited – due to laws, access to seeds, and types of seed (patented/terminator seeds) – their way of growing food is controlled, and finally their right to grow food is handed over to corporations.
Many, if not all, of our foods start from seed. Therefore, it is important to be able to choose the food you grow and eat.
“You control the seed, you can control the food system. You control the food system, you can control the people”
Participants could find ways to strengthen their role in addressing a growing problem.
(written by Manosi Abe Chatterjee, Curriculum Coordinator)
– 3,000 km by Microbus. Preventing the Loss of Vital Learning Opportunities for Global Rural Communities. Striving Together Towards a Society Where We “Live Kindly with Neighbors” –
The Asian Rural Institute (ARI; Nasushiobara, Tochigi; Director: Osamu Arakawa) will launch its Summer Fundraising Campaign on August 1, 2026, via the crowdfunding platform “Syncable.” The campaign aims to realize the “Western Japan Study Tour” (scheduled for November), where grassroots community leaders from Asia and Africa experience and learn from Japan’s social issues and historical sites.
Prior to the official campaign launch, ARI begins the recruitment of “Support Funding Partners” today, July 1, to co-raise funds and spread awareness. The crowdfunding campaign will run until September 30, with a target goal of 1,000,000 JPY.
Details: https://ari.ac.jp/en/campaign/update?ari=news
If you are interested in making an advance donation, please contact us at [email protected].
1. Background: The Weight of Losing a “Learning Opportunity” for Future Leaders
Every year, ARI invites grassroots rural leaders from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific (22 leaders for this academic year) for a 9-month “Rural Leaders Training Program” focusing on organic agriculture and multicultural coexistence. The 12-day “Western Japan Study Tour” in November serves as the capstone and one of the most critical elements of this curriculum.
However, this year, the grant from the organization that had supported this tour for the past several years was not approved, leaving ARI in a critical situation with no secured funding for the tour at this moment.
The participants studying at ARI do not come merely to obtain academic credentials or to focus solely on personal self-improvement. They are “Servant Leaders” who will return home after graduation to spearhead environmental restoration, community development, and youth education—directly impacting the lives of hundreds and thousands of people in their villages. Depriving them of the opportunity to learn wisdom for peace and coexistence firsthand from Japan’s reality and history is not just a program cancellation; it represents a “profound opportunity loss for the development of global rural communities and the future of the people who live there.” To overcome this crisis and sustain this vital learning for the world’s future, ARI has decided to appeal to the wider public for support and collaboration.
2. This Year’s Theme: “Living Kindly with Neighbors: A Time to Heal”
“Living Kindly with neighbors begins with listening to the voices of suffering.”
In a world filled with endless news of division, conflict, and environmental destruction, are we truly able to think of those far away as our “neighbors” and sympathize with their pain?
The challenges these leaders face are not distant problems of strangers in a faraway country like Japan. Accepting issues such as discrimination and environmental destruction with the shocking realization that “this is happening in my own country” serves as the greatest driving force for them to tackle their own countries’ difficult challenges (poverty, conflict, and environmental destruction) and heal their communities upon return. We would be deeply grateful for your support in protecting this precious learning opportunity.
3. 3,000 km by Microbus: Destinations Confronting Realities of Life and Peace
Over the course of 12 days, the leaders will travel mainly through western Japan by microbus, visiting sites representing a history of pain and rebirth, as well as various modern social challenges.
4. Launching July 1: Recruiting “Support Funding Partners”
Ahead of the official fundraising launch on August 1, ARI is inviting individuals to become “Support Funding Partners” starting today, July 1.
Support Funding Partners are peer-to-peer fundraisers who can set up their own unique advocacy pages as “sub-campaigns” under ARI’s main campaign on the Syncable platform. By writing about your personal thoughts on ARI and the importance of the Western Japan Study Tour in your own words, and calling for donations from your friends, acquaintances, and social media followers, you will play a vital role in expanding the warm circle of support across society that ARI cannot reach alone. We look forward to welcoming many partners to walk alongside these future global leaders.
From all of us at the Asian Rural Institute (ARI)
Details: https://ari.ac.jp/en/campaign/update?ari=news
If you are interested in making an advance donation, please contact us at [email protected].
On June 18, we were thrilled to welcome over 20 members of the Industry Co-Creation (ICC) community and local friends to ARI! ICC is a network of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and producers from across Japan who gather to learn and co-create new industries.
As part of their fieldwork in the Nasu area, they also made a stop at ARI.
Associate Director Oyanagi and I guided them on a campus tour, introducing ARI’s daily learning and sustainable practices. Following this, Tomoko Arakawa, our Managing Director, shared ARI’s philosophy of “Servant Leadership” and discussed the challenges we face.
We received wonderful feedback and inspiring ideas from the members, such as:
“Servant Leadership is exactly what modern corporate management needs.”
Potential collaboration for corporate training programs.
New ways to share our graduates’ stories.
For over 50 years, ARI has nurtured learning for living together. Inspired by these new connections, we will continue to share our values with the world! Thank you so much to everyone who visited us!
(By Takashi Yamashita, Head of Fundraising and Domestic programs)
At our recent “Morning Gathering,” I shared my thoughts on “the meaning of waiting.” While I am by no means good at “waiting,” I have come to understand its importance at various turning points in my life.
During a tree-planting project in Tanzania I participated in my twenties, I learned the hard way that because we prioritized efficiency and immediate results, the trees we brought and planted failed to take root in that land or among the people. In contrast, native trees grow slowly but steadily extend their roots until they reach the groundwater, and thereafter, they bring blessings to that land for a long time.
Waiting for things that seem incomprehensible at first glance. Waiting in situations that seem to offer nothing but suffering. Even now, I am not good at waiting. However, I feel that what shaped me and deepened and strengthened the roots of my life were those times of “waiting” when things did not go as I had hoped.
With the cooperation of the Ecumenical Relations Committee of the National Federation of UCCJ Women’s Society, ARI has been running the “Kyodan Homestay Program” in the Tokyo metropolitan area since 1973. In June, just as the participants are starting to get used to life at ARI and begin to feel homesick, it all begins with the simple phrase, “Let’s go to ‘Japan’!”
Rather than expecting anything special, host families welcome our participants as if they were “a daughter or son studying in Tochigi who has come home for the weekend.”
Some participants shared their fun memories with us: “I rode the subway!” “After church, I went to see the ocean.” “I helped wash the dishes.” “I went to a park—I forgot the name, though.” “I was surprised at how energetic they were, even though they were over 90!” “They taught me how to count in Japanese: ‘ichi, ni, san…’” and so on.
(By Yukiko Oyanagi, Associate Director / Curriculum Assistant)
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: Year-round
Application deadline: One month before your desired start date
For details and how to apply: Please see the link below.
Volunteer – Asian Rural Institute
Watch all our online events again!
Join the ARI life with family and friends!
We're looking for on-campus volunteers
This is where the community gathers to share meals and fellowship together. More than just a dining hall, it also serves as a venue for events, meetings, and learning activities. Koinonia is a Greek word meaning “fellowship” or “sharing.”
At peak times, meals are prepared for as many as 100 people at once. Students, staff, and volunteers all take part in cooking and meal preparation. The kitchen is not only a place for preparing food but also a space for learning, serving others, and building relationships within the community.
Participants attend classes in these classrooms throughout the training program. The library contains a wide range of English and Japanese books, audiovisual materials, and magazines covering agriculture, social issues, community development, and many other fields of study.
Participants and volunteers live in separate dormitories for men and women. The dormitory includes shared lounges, kitchens, showers, and laundry facilities. Wi-Fi is not available.
The poultry facilities include free-range chicken coops and a brooding house. More than 400 chickens are raised, producing over 80,000 eggs and approximately one ton of chicken meat each year.
Participants learn a variety of pig farming techniques through hands-on practice. Both deep-litter and concrete-floor systems are used, and manure is recycled into biogas and fertilizer.
Goat milk (over 200 liters annually) and meat are used for food, while manure is used as fertilizer. During the day, the goats roam freely in the pasture.
The forests surrounding the campus are managed through selective thinning for firewood and charcoal production. Leaves and other organic materials are collected for use in agriculture.
On 2.5 hectares of farmland, approximately 100 varieties of vegetables and crops are grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The entire community helps manage the fields as part of its commitment to learning and self-sufficiency.
Rice is cultivated in paddies both on and off campus. Various organic rice-growing methods are studied and practiced, including weed control and fertilization using ducks.
The workshop is a space for repair and recycling activities. It contains machinery, welding equipment, woodworking tools, and a variety of materials.
Livestock feed is produced here using both manual and mechanical methods. Continuous efforts are made to improve feed quality and sustainability.
The first floor houses the reception area and administrative offices, while the second floor contains staff offices and the Director’s office. The Farm Shop (Agricultural Training Room) is located adjacent to the building.
The shop offers ARI-grown produce, processed foods, books, and handicrafts from the home countries of ARI graduates.
The facility serves as the hub of agricultural activities at ARI. It includes classrooms, storage for tools and farming materials, and facilities for drying and storing crops.
Originally a 100-year-old traditional farmhouse, the chapel has been renovated into a place of worship. Daily morning gatherings are held here, along with meditation, dialogue sessions, gospel choir practice, and other community activities. Oikos is a Greek word meaning “home.”
This facility is used for producing and storing processed foods such as cookies and jam. The ground floor also contains a poultry processing facility.
Fish are raised for both food and agricultural purposes.
