Every October, ARI holds HTC (Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration). This year, it will take place on October 17th (Sat) and 18th (Sun). HTC is a day to share the joy of the harvest with everyone and God, and for the participants,
After the graduates had left, the now smaller ARI community held its traditional Christmas celebration.
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men in His favor!”
Luke 2:14
On Tuesday, December 16, an interview with Osamu Arakawa, Director of ARI, and Debora, a graduate from Indonesia who now serves as a volunteer, was published in the morning edition of Shimotsuke Shimbun. The article appeared as the seventh and final installment of the series “Forms of Peace: Tochigi 80 Years After the War – Lingering Scars, Inherited Pain.”
We deeply appreciate that the newspaper chose to focus not only on Japanese perspectives but also on the voices of people from countries once invaded by Japan, and that they selected ARI in Tochigi Prefecture as a place worthy of coverage.
This year, on the occasion of our Foundation Day in September, ARI issued its own Peace Declaration and centered the theme of peace in the latest issue of our newsletter “Ajia no Tsuchi”.
“I wish to oppose war itself from the standpoint of protecting life and dignity, against the prevailing atmosphere of war and arguments justifying nuclear deterrence. Peace is not merely the absence of conflict; we must face each other’s differences and pain, and build relationships with sincerity. I believe this attitude is the basis for a society where may we live together.” (Osamu Arakawa)
As we enter a new year, we remain committed to engaging with these issues with sincerity and resolve.
Shimotsuke Shimbun digital article: https://www.shimotsuke.co.jp/articles/-/1249037
Article on the Peace Declaration (posted September 19, 2025): https://ari.ac.jp/en/foundation-day-20250916/
Full text of the ARI Peace Declaration: https://ari.ac.jp/en/asian-rural-institute-peace-declaration/
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 recommended (applications are accepted year-round)
Application deadline: One month before your desired start date
For details and how to apply: Please see the link below.
With hearts full of memories,we saw the graduates off at the airport.
Days spent laughing, learning, praying, and working together.
As the time to say goodbye drew near,words could not express the emotions that quietly overflowed.
The day before departure, one graduate said:
“It’s okay. We’re all under the same sky.”
Though countries and distances separate us,
we remain connected under the same sky.
Graduates returning to their respective places.
May the encounters and learning nurtured here continue to illuminate your paths ahead.
See you again someday.
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 in the nearby community center to eat delicious Adobo, prepared by Sarah, a now graduate, from the Philippines.
In the afternoon we split up in groups for various adventures, such as exploring the mysteries of the nine-tailed fox and a murderous stone, learning about the history of the Main Onsen Shrine, soaking our feet in the soothing and rich Onsen water and visiting the traditional Shikanoyu Hot Spring.
All in all it was a very successful day as proven by the quiet and sleepy ride back to our campus.
By God’s grace, 27 participants successfully completed the Rural Leaders Training Program in 2025.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supported the nine-month training program in various ways!
Over the past few days, ARI hosted the Class of 2025’s final presentations. Each of the 27 participants told their learning experiences at ARI, and what they seek to accomplish when they return home.
Overcoming nervousness, each stood before all their classmates, staff, volunteers, and supporters. With carefully designed posters, they confidently addressed the audience, presenting the challenges facing their communities and their concrete plans to address them.
One participant began his presentation by saying, “Before coming to Japan, I thought I knew about my community,” but by leaving his community, he gained a deeper understanding of both its beauty and its struggles.
Riverbanks littered with garbage. People of the community losing their spirits. These heartbreaking challenges remain, motivating him in his work as a teacher to establish an Eco-awareness program, conduct garbage sorting and cleanup activities around the campus, and rebuild the community spirit by teaching the values of peace and mutual assistance.
Tomorrow, December 13, ARI will host the 2025 commencement service.
We would be honored if you could join us in celebrating the participants’ new beginnings and cheering them on in their future endeavors.
More information: https://ari.ac.jp/en/commencement-service-2025/
This year’s training program is now coming to an end. Last week, Acivo (Class of 2000), a graduate from Nagaland, India, conducted classes for participants.
The lecture content was highly practical and based on her own experiences. For instance, she discussed income generation. In fact, many graduates often face this challenge to generate income immediately after graduation. Living in villages in developing countries, where ties with family and relatives are strong, they always bear responsibilities and the associated expenses, such as supporting their families and sending siblings and children to school. Meanwhile, their income is often insufficient.
Acivo emphasized the need for ingenuity in how to effectively invest small amounts, such as turning available 500 yen or 1,000 yen into 3,000 or 4,000 yen.
During the class she shared the methods and practices that she has been using in her home community: leveraging her personal connections for bartering rice and corn, providing her homemade Bokashi fertilizer in exchange for labor, and adding value to readily available food items by selling organic vegetable-based lunch boxes and sweets. Many participants were particularly interested in her method of baking cakes using a firewood stove—even without equipment like an oven—which is especially useful in rural areas. She even conducted a baking practice session for those who wanted.
Acivo graduated from ARI over 25 years ago and also served as a staff member for many years at ARI.
She stated that the most important thing to become a good leader is to become a good follower.
“Even with just one skill you learned at ARI, you must never give up because you failed a few times. My husband, who is also an ARI graduate, teaches people how to make Bokashi and other things over video calls. And yet, they can learn and practice it. Participants who have come to ARI in Japan and have the opportunity to learn on site should all the more never give up.”
Her words, spoken precisely because she is a graduate, are powerful and profoundly convincing.
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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.
