“About ten years ago, I had the privilege of connecting with ARI and have been involved as a commuting volunteer ever since. From a volunteer’s perspective, I have actively proposed and brought to life various initiatives over the years. These
August is a time when we reflect anew on peace and resolve to take action toward it, as we remember Hiroshima & Nagasaki, and the end of WWII. As part of their training program, ARI participants visit Hiroshima in the fall. Some time ago, as a staff member accompanying the participants, I attended a session where they listened to testimony from an atomic bomb survivor (HIBAKUSHA). I was serving as an interpreter. After the survivor’s testimony, the students asked several questions. Among them, a student from Indonesia asked, “What do you think about Japan’s acts of aggression against Asian countries during the War?” To be honest, I hesitated to interpret that question. However, I conveyed it nonetheless. After a moment of silence, the survivor replied, “We must reflect deeply on that.” That exchange remains with me to this day, and it is an important perspective I do not want to overlook when considering peacebuilding.
(I would also be grateful if you could read the ARI Peace Declaration, which was released last year to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. https://ari.ac.jp/…/asian-rural-institute-peace…/…)
Eighty-one years have passed since the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
Today, we’d like to share a message from Mr. Thomas Mathew, a graduate of ARI from India, who visited Hiroshima during the WJST in 1988—an experience that profoundly influenced the rest of his life.
“Originally, my expectations for ARI were to experience life in Japan and to acquire various skills to lead rural communities in my homeland, India. Peace was not an immediate priority for me. However, during the WJST at the Hiroshima YMCA, I watched footage portraying the dreadful reality of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and I listened to the firsthand testimonies of the hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors). Their stories deeply touched my heart.
At the time, I took great pride in being a citizen of India, a nuclear-armed nation (India conducted its first nuclear test on May 18, 1974). That sense of pride vanished in an instant in Hiroshima, and I became determined to convey the message of peace from Hiroshima and Nagasaki wherever I went.
In August 1990, the first-ever visit of hibakusha to India was realized. We traveled extensively across India, meeting with thousands of students and peace activists, participating in media interviews, and engaging with political and religious leaders. Furthermore, I produced a documentary on the reality of India’s nuclear tests conducted in May 1998. This drew international attention, and I was invited to present it at the Hague Appeal for Peace in 1999. There, I met five Nobel Peace Prize laureates and conveyed to them the terrifying reality of India’s nuclear testing.
ARI ignited my inner passion for world peace and gave me the strength to transform it into a driving force for tirelessly pursuing a peaceful and just world.”
■ We’re currently running a crowdfunding campaign! (~September 30th)
Please support our WJST 2026.
https://ari.ac.jp/en/campaign/update
■ Seeking “Support Funding Partners”
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].
■ Meet ARI’s current participants!
Check out our Stories on SNS to watch their self-introduction videos and support their Western Japan Study Tour!
Our crowdfunding campaign for the WJST has finally begun!
Now, the National High School Baseball Championship at Koshien begins tomorrow. Did you know that Shizuoka’s representative, Seirei Christopher High School, is actually one of the places ARI visits during the WJST?
Today, the Seirei Group supports the lives of many citizens in western Shizuoka, spanning fields from healthcare and welfare to education. However, its origins lie in accepting tuberculosis patients who were often isolated from society. Every year, ARI participants visit the Seirei History Museum to learn what it truly means to be a servant leader through the life and words of the founder, Mr. Tamotsu Hasegawa, who dedicated his life to serving others and responding to the needs of the community.
Last year, one participant shared this reflection:
“I am used to hearing “do your best to serve while you are living (in this life)” but today I learned from Mr. Hasegawa’s act of donating his body to the medical school for students to learn from, that it is possible to serve even after passing away. “
The light of God is falling Upon life’s common way;
The Master’s voice still calling, “Come, walk with Me today”;
No duty can seem lowly to him who lives with Thee,
And all of life grows holy, O Christ of Galilee!
Hymn 393, which serves as the school song for Seirei Christopher High School and echoes across Koshien Stadium, perfectly embodies the spirit of a true servant leader.
■ We’re currently running a crowdfunding campaign! (~September 30th)
Please support our WJST 2026.
https://ari.ac.jp/en/campaign/update
■ Seeking “Support Funding Partners”
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].
■ Meet ARI’s current participants!
Check out our Stories on SNS to watch their self-introduction videos and support their Western Japan Study Tour!
Thank you as always for your warm support!
As we continue our challenge toward the Next Goal of 2.2 million yen, today we would like to introduce the “Japanese Self-Introduction Videos of Our Participants,” currently being released on our official SNS channels (Instagram and Facebook).
This video initiative was created not only to convey the depth and value of learning through the “Western Japan Study Tour” scheduled for November, but also to serve as an “entry point” for you to discover what kind of impact the participants studying at Asian Rural Institute (ARI) will bring to their home countries and the world after returning home.
The 22 participants gathering from Asia, Africa, and Latin America are leaders who have stood on the front lines of challenges such as food insecurity, poverty, and environmental degradation in their respective communities, working to support their people.
Having been in Japan for about four months, devoting themselves to daily learning and farm work, they share—to the best of their ability in Japanese—their activities back home and their hopes for the Western Japan Study Tour.
By connecting with the “faces” and “thoughts” of the leaders supported by your generosity, we hope you feel a little closer to the real-world challenges they face around the globe.
Please listen to the honest, heartfelt words of our participants on our official SNS!
🎥 Watch the videos here (Official SNS):
We humbly ask for your continued warm support and help in sharing this campaign until the final day on September 30!
The crowdfunding campaign “Living Kindly with Neighbors,” launched on Saturday, August 1, 2026, by Asian Rural Institute (Location: Nasushiobara, Tochigi; Representative: Toshimasa Yamamoto), reached its initial target of 1,000,000 yen on its very first day. To cover the expenses for the participants’ stay, the institute has set a Next Goal of 2,200,000 yen and will continue fundraising through Wednesday, September 30.
A Challenge Launched Amid an Unanticipated Funding Gap Reaches Target on Day One
Since its founding in 1973, Asian Rural Institute (ARI) has conducted a 9-month training program for rural community leaders from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and other regions. This campaign seeks to raise funds for the “Western Japan Study Tour,” which serves as the culmination of the program held every November.
The tour is a 12-day, 3,000 km round-trip journey by microbus, visiting places like Minamata, Hiroshima, and Osaka to face Japan’s “history of pain and regeneration.” However, as anticipated grant funding was unavailable for this fiscal year’s program, coupled with rising costs driven by inflation and the weak yen, ARI decided to turn to crowdfunding.
As a result, the campaign reached its initial target of 1,000,000 yen on day one, accompanied by a flood of supportive messages.
From “Transportation” to Supporting “Encounter”
The 1,000,000 yen raised covers the transportation portion of the required budget. ARI has now set a Next Goal of 2,200,000 yen to cover accommodation, food, and training fees during their stay:
Community interaction and testimonial honoraria in Minamata: Approx. 80,000 JPY
Accommodation in Hiroshima (2 nights): Approx. 110,000 JPY
Accommodation at Aino Gakuen: Approx. 70,000 JPY
Museum admission fees and audio guides: Approx. 20,000 JPY
Other accommodation, food, and training expenses
During the study tour, participants visit the following locations to witness first-hand the societal challenges Japan has faced, including environmental pollution, histories of discrimination, and the scars of war:
Machida (Rural Mission Seminary): Discovering the roots of ARI’s educational philosophy
Hamamatsu (Seirei Social Welfare Community, Seirei Christopher Junior and Senior High School): Learning the pioneering spirit of healthcare and social welfare
Iga (Aino Gakuen Agricultural High School): Engaging with Japan’s only private agricultural high school teaching organic farming
Osaka (NPO Kamagasaki Support Organization, Kansai Okinawa Bunko, Korea NGO Center, etc.): Confronting histories of discrimination
Minamata (Karatachi, Minamata Disease Museum, Kibou/Mirai/Minamata, etc.): Hearing directly from those affected by Minamata disease
Hiroshima (Peace Memorial Museum, Peace Memorial Park, etc.): Learning the preciousness of peace from atomic bomb survivor memory preservers
Upon completing the tour, participants often remark, “This is what is happening in my own country,” or “Although I was looking at Japan, it felt like I was looking at my own country.” Realizing that despite differences in nations and challenges, the pain people carry shares common ground serves as a driving force in their activities after returning home.
Toward a Next Goal of 2.2 Million Yen
The 1,000,000 yen raised covers the transportation portion of the required budget. As accommodation, food, and training fees are needed to execute the entire tour, ARI has set a Next Goal of 2,200,000 yen and will continue seeking support through September 30.
Transportation (microbus, ferry, etc.): Approx. 1,000,000 JPY (Achieved)
Accommodation & Food: Approx. 1,000,000 JPY
Training Expenses (facility usage, speaker honoraria, etc.): Approx. 200,000 JPY
“We are astonished to see such overwhelming support on the very first day, and we feel a deep sense of responsibility. The way forward for our participants to reach the sites has been secured. In a world of growing division, so many people have recognized the need for this program—which fosters the strength to face histories of pain and live kindly alongside our neighbors. We are determined to make this tour worthy of these expectations. Now, we hope to support the encounters awaiting them at those destinations together with all of you.”
Campaign Overview
Project Title: Crowdfunding Campaign “Living Kindly with Our Neighbors”
Campaign Period: Saturday, August 1, 2026 – Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Initial Goal: 1,000,000 JPY (Achieved on Day 1)
Next Goal: 2,200,000 JPY
URL: https://ari.ac.jp/en/campaign/update
Organizer: Asian Rural Institute
Target Program: Western Japan Study Tour (Scheduled for November 2026, 12 days, ~3,000 km round-trip, 22 participants from 13 countries)
About Asian Rural Institute (ARI)
Name: Asian Rural Institute
Address: 442-1 Tsukuisawa, Nasushiobara-shi, Tochigi 329-2703, Japan
Representative: Toshimasa Yamamoto
Established: 1973
Main Activities: Operation of training programs for rural community leaders from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and other regions
Today, August 1st, we launched a crowdfunding campaign to support the Asian Rural Institute’s (ARI) “Western Japan Study Tour.”
Every November, ARI conducts the Western Japan Study Tour as the culmination of our 9-month Rural Leaders Training Program. It is a 12-day, 3,000 km round-trip journey by minibus.
Participants visit sites reflecting Japan’s history of “pain and regeneration”—including pollution, discrimination, and the scars of war. There, they meet people who have stood by their neighbors to live together in harmony.
Our 22 rural leaders from 13 countries often reflect:
“Although I was looking at Japan, it felt like I was looking at my own country.”
Realizing that the pain people carry shares common ground across borders, participants return home to act as leaders who “live kindly with neighbors,” uplifting their communities.
However, a grant we anticipated was not awarded this year. Combined with inflation and the weak yen, we need your support more than ever. We aim to raise 1 million yen for transportation costs out of the total 2 million yen budget.
▼ Campaign & Donations:
https://ari.ac.jp/en/campaign/update
Period: Aug 1, 2026 – Sept 30, 2026
Please support our 22 participants and share this post with your network. Thank you!
Only 3 days left until the launch of our crowdfunding campaign on August 1st!
Today, we would like to introduce our study tour at Aino High School of Agriculture in Iga.
Aino High School is a full-boarding agricultural high school that teaches organic farming. We have enjoyed a long-standing partnership, with many of its graduates coming to ARI as volunteers. During the WJST, Participants stay on their campus, tour the farm and school facilities, and connect with the high school students through discussions, songs, and dances.
We spoke with Sojiro Oka, a post-graduate student at Aino High School who is currently undergoing a one-year training program at ARI. He recalled being deeply moved during his high school days when ARI participants from various countries sang a song for them, calling it a truly rare and memorable experience.
Having visited Okinawa and Hiroshima to learn about the history of war during his time at Aino High School, he shared his thoughts on the significance of the WJST:
“I feel it would be a huge loss if the participants couldn’t go WJST. Every country faces various issues, such as war and pollution. If I remained ignorant of those things, I would find that scary. By learning about places like Hiroshima and Okinawa, our hearts are drawn to these issues and history, which changes how we think, and ultimately, how we live. Although this trip allows participants to learn about another country, it also connects back to the issues of their own home countries. That is why I believe it is such a vital learning opportunity.”
■ 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].
■ Meet ARI’s current participants!
Check out our Stories on SNS to watch their self-introduction videos and support their Western Japan Study Tour!
From July 13 to 18, we went on a FCST (Farming Community Study Tour).
We were divided into two groups: For 4 days, Group A went to the Okitama region and Tozawa Village of Yamagata Prefecture, while Group B went to the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture. Afterward, we reunited and continued our study tour in Iwate Prefecture.
At each location, we were able to learn from a wide variety of sources, including organic farmers, farmers’ groups, high schools, daycare centers, JA cooperatives, and permaculture farms. The participants were really excited, saying, “We learned so much in just six days!!”
(By Yukiko Oyanagi, Associate Director / Curriculum Assistant)
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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.
