On Sunday, the ARI community rose early to gather for an Easter celebration at sunrise, following the biblical description of Jesus’ resurrection being discovered at dawn. As the first light of day spread across the fields, we came together in
The air is warming, the trees are beginning to bud, and the land is stirring with new life. After the long winter, spring is finally making its way to ARI.
The gentle shift in seasons reminds us of the deep connection we share with the soil, the food we grow, and the communities we nurture – principles that are at the heart of ARI’s mission.
Our animals certainly feel the change. The goats, who spent much of the winter indoors, now happily roam outside, basking in the sunshine and nibbling on fresh grass. Their playful energy is a clear sign that nature is awakening.
This week also brings another exciting arrival; the 2025 participants! Soon, they will step onto ARI’s grounds, ready to begin their nine-month journey of learning, working, and growing together. Just like the plants and trees that stretch toward the sun, they too will embark on a season of transformation.
As we welcome spring, let’s take a moment to appreciate its beauty, the warmth of the sun, the song of the birds, and the promise of new beginnings. May we continue to walk in harmony with the land, nurturing both nature and each other.
“Director’s Report”
A big surprise party carefully planned for me last night surprised me a lot!! I was incredibly delighted and moved! As I will finish my 10-year term as Director of ARI at the end of this month, and also to celebrate my birthday, ARI family members, and those who have helped me gather together without my knowledge! They celebrated with my favorite Korean food (Bibimbap + ARI pork BBQ + birthday Wakame seaweed soup), lots of sweets (all homemade in the Koinonia kitchen), and bouquets. (In fact, a bouquet was sent directly from my family’s florist in Gunma!) There were many messages from Graduates and former volunteers in many countries!
This year marks 30 years since I came to ARI, and I have spent a third of that time as Director. Many things have happened, but I have been able to make it this far because of God’s guidance and the wonderful people I have worked with. It has been a fun, dramatic, exciting, and blessed time. I am grateful to have been given the special assignment of Director.
Starting in April, I will support the new Director, Osamu Arakawa, and work at ARI daily as Managing Director (as a board member) and head of Relationship Building and Outreach. This will be my last “Director’s Report” post, but I will be on the road more and more, reporting on ARI’s rich connections.
Thank you for your continued support.
Do you know about the long journeys ARI participants to Japan?
Most of them live not in big cities, but in remote villages whose names do not appear on any internet maps. In ARI’s early days, it was not uncommon for participants to enter their plane in bare feet! Now pretty much everyone is wearing their shoes, or at least flipflops!
But even so, the paths they must travel are far beyond our imagination.
We would like to follow their great adventures in 4 installments!
The first in this series is 2000 ARI graduate, Acivo, from Nagaland, India. Many of you may know her, as she also served as staff at ARI until recently.
The mountain village where she was born and raised is today at least an 8-hour drive from the nearest airport, but 25 years ago, that trip was much more harrowing!
[Acivo, 2000 graduate from Nagaland, India]
Khutsokhuno Village, home of Zacivolü R. Dozo (Acivo), is located up the mountain from Phek Town, in the south of Nagaland State, India. This community is composed of Naga people, and although it is India, their Mongoloid features are similar to those of the Japanese. They make their living by traditional slash-and-burn agriculture, live in houses made of bamboo and wood, and do their cooking on a stove over an open fire.
You may wonder how Acivo, who lives in such a remote area, came to know about ARI. As it happens, the boss of an NGO she was working at was an ARI graduate, and recommended her for the training program. Thinking it would be difficult to ask for financial support from her relatives, she said she needed time to pray about it. Her boss’s simple reply, “Trust in the Lord,” made her decide to apply. She did so, and was accepted!
The preparation for her travel to Japan was not easy. Although her overseas travel expenses would be covered, she still had to manage her domestic preparation expenses. She took the risk of borrowing 20,000 rupees, which is today about 35,000 yen, but at that time was much more. She was later able to repay the loan by saving the allowance money she received from ARI. To obtain her visa, she needed to travel 1,500 kms to Kolkata. It was her first time ever to go there. But knowing that was not her final stop, that she would be going much further, all the way to Japan, leaving her country for the first time in her life, it was beyond her imagination. The only way she could describe this experience was “Khutsokhuno, Phek, BOOM!”
Today, it takes at least 8 hours to drive from the Acvio’s village to the airport on unpaved mountain roads, but back then, driving wasn’t even an option. No one had a car. Her journey started with a 4 hour walk to the nearest town, Phek. Then another 10 hours in a public bus to get to the airport at Dimapur. At the time, there were only two flights a week to Kolkata, and even those few flights were often cancelled. In Kolkata she met up with two other participants on their way to ARI and together they helped each other through a transfer in Bangkok before finally arriving at Narita Airport. The three of them were confused the whole time, never sure if they were at the right gate or getting on the right plane, but they made it.
What moved Acivo to embark on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure? It was ARI’s mission. She felt ARI was exactly the place for her to prepare her to lead people at the grassroots. And ARI did not disappoint her.
Acivo still remembers the organization that paid for her training. It was the Rotary Club of Utsunomiya and this is how she describes the significance of supporting ARI. “It would be difficult to provide ongoing support if they invested the same amount in a single project. But the Rotary Club invested in me. And I’ve been alive and working for people for the last 25 years.” “…The whole world needs change, and it needs everyone’s participation. But we cannot all be leaders and live in rural areas. Each one of us is equipped with our own work and abilities, and investing 100 yen or 1,000 yen in one participant can change the lives of 1,000 people behind him or her. It’s not just 100 people, it’s 1,000 people!”
She herself has worked as a staff member of an NGO and at ARI to raise money for the education of her nephews and nieces, and has devoted herself to the education of children and their families in her village. “Some of the children I taught are already old enough to get married, and they will be the future leaders of their villages and churches. So, I have never once regretted my activities.” Her work in the village has been successful, enabling many young families earn an income and send their children to school in neighboring towns, by growing vegetables.
She will be 55 years old this year and her energy never runs out. Hesitantly, she mentioned a project that she hasn’t yet told anyone about. It is “the Obento project.” Obento means “lunch box” in Japanese. After years of filling the stomachs of community members in the ARI kitchen, she has a deep interest in nutrition and health and is concerned about the recent surge of cancer and diabetes in Nagaland. As the world food trend is rapidly changing, Nagaland isn’t an exception. Fast food products from outside of the region are in high fashion amongst the younger generations both in rural and urban settings. So, she came up with the idea of making healthy lunches based on Japanese cuisine, with the aim of sustaining households through supporting the health of families and neighbors in urban areas. She says she needs to do something that attracts young people, and for about 250-300 yen, she makes lunch boxes for 3 neighbors every day. The rice comes from her village, and the vegetables and fruits, such as cabbage, eggplant, tomatoes, and strawberries are grown on her balcony and in small planters on the roof. She also has 2 rabbits and recently started to raise 3 hens for eggs. “With just a few ingredients, I can make a tasty, healthy obento.”
Even with all she has accomplished, she still takes new initiatives. This is a true rural leader. Her unpretentious approach is sure to inspire many people to think, “If this is what she can do, maybe I can do it, too.”
Click here to read the series of articles
Vol. 1【Do You Know? The Great Journey of Rural Community Leaders】 ← Now, you’re here.
Vol. 2【Do You Know? The Great Journey of Rural Community Leaders】
Vol. 3【Do You Know? The Great Journey of Rural Community Leaders】
Vol. 4【Do You Know? The Great Journey of Rural Community Leaders】
Spring has arrived at the Asian Rural Institute (ARI), bringing with it new life and fresh energy. This season of renewal is extra special as we celebrate the birth of five baby goats! Our two adult goats recently gave birth—one to three kids and the other to two—adding more joy and vitality to our farm community.
The newborn goats are already filling the farm with their playful energy, hopping around and bonding with their mothers. Their arrival is a beautiful reminder of the cycles of life and the deep connection we share with nature. As ARI enters this new season, we look forward to nurturing these young ones while continuing our journey of sustainable living and community building.
Come visit the farm and witness the joy of new beginnings this spring at ARI!
Blooming plum blossoms this week herald the coming of Spring.
With the new season coming, ARI hosted two presentations for learnings by graduates of the 2024 program.
First, Momoko, a graduate from Japan, reported on her one-month Asian Internship program in the Philippines, where she visited several graduates’ organizations in January and February. Her time with their communities gave first-hand experience in the major differences of development between Japan and other countries, including those of her classmates in 2024. She saw that despite economic challenges, they were able to mobilize local resources to provide a better life for all community members.
Next was a presentation by Thi Thi, 2024 Training Assistant, on her learnings during the year.
Using various role-play scenarios, Thi Thi cheerfully demonstrated difficulties she faced between people in the ARI community, and how she addressed them. Rather than focus solely on successfully completing tasks, she learned how to manage the process, being supportive to each community member, each with a different cultural background.
When she returns home, she will oversee activities throughout her organization on a national level, making these qualities necessary for healthy relationships amongst staff.
With these presentations, all training programs for 2024 have officially come to an end.
We would like to show our appreciation to each one of you again for your warm support.
Please also look forward to a new academic year at ARI!
The ARI community is happy to welcome two new Training Assistants TAs) who recently arrived to support this year’s Rural Leaders Training Program; Jeremiya (2019 ARI Graduate) from India and Veh (2018 ARI Graduate) from Malawi. They will spend the next year to deepen their knowledge through working at a particular section of ARI to tackle the problems of their community.
TAs play a vital role in the ARI community, working alongside participants in farm work, food processing, and community-building activities. Their presence brings fresh perspectives, and we look forward to learning from and with them throughout the year.
Meanwhile, excitement is building as we prepare to welcome a new group of participants at the end of March! These future rural leaders will embark on a transformative journey of learning, sharing, and growing together.
With new TAs and new participants joining, the ARI community continues to thrive as a place of learning, service, and mutual support.
Let’s welcome them warmly and look forward to the season ahead!
In January, while the campus is closed, ARI staff convened with professional trainers to undertake an intensive 5-day course in non-violent communication.
NVC starts with understanding ourselves. Trainers taught ARI staff the skills in observing our situation including others’ actions, savoring our feelings based on the situation, seeking and understanding our needs, then making a request of others to fulfill that need.
ARI staff also practiced conflict resolution based on the skills of NVC, seeking to understand the feelings and needs of aggrieved members of the group. Even in a workshop-style safe space, it was intense activity! But a powerful tool for building empathy for others.
At ARI, a diverse community of members live together in an equitable and inclusive environment. While this vision reflects powerful ideals, it is incumbent upon the staff to actually live those ideals in their daily life. With tools such as NVC, we come one step closer to making it a reality.
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for the financial support for this workshop.
A new group recently arrived at the ARI campus – piglets!
At ARI, we practice self-sufficient sustainable agriculture. This means that over 90% of the food we serve in our dining hall is grown and raised on our campus. This includes almost all our proteins: soybeans, chicken, and pork.
We do not merely raise livestock, but raise life which sustains many other lives. These piglets are part of that cycle of life. At ARI, we learn to appreciate their role in sustaining life across campus and beyond. They will stay with us for a year as they grow up, but now we get to enjoy their cuteness!
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