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ARI changes its identity domain to ari.ac.jp.

In honor of our 50th anniversary this year, ARI has changed its domain name from ari-edu.org to ari.ac.jp.

After the switch to our new website URL, staff email address are going to be changed in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you will have no problem to continue our current and old e-mail addresses (…@ari-edu.org) as before.
Access to ari-edu.org will be automatically forwarded to ari.ac.jp.

The old domain ari-edu.org, which has been in use for nearly 20 years since 2004, unintentionally showed an identity that reflected the thoughts of ARI’s founders, including Rev. Toshihiro Takami, who pioneered the era of NGOs in Japan in the 1970s.
“.org” represented grassroots, NGO-like activities; “ari-edu” expressed ARI’s educational perspective.

In 2023, starting with the kick-off event on February 16, we will celebrate our 50th anniversary. We will share with you the questions that are needed in today’s world under the theme of “Learning together for the rural future.”

As our new identity domain ari.ac.jp clearly positions ARI as an higher educational institution in Japan, as a place of learning for rural leaders, and as a school located in Japan with responsibility for peace, we will share questions to realize peace in the world and peace from the soil.

We hope you will understand the purpose of the change and access our school website at https://ari.ac.jp.

As for email, we are preparing new, more user-centered accounts.
Please note that when our staff members contact you, they will start using the new accounts.

Message from the New Chair of the Board

The former chair, Masaoki Hoshino, retired on May 31, 2022, and the new chair, Toshimasa Yamamoto, assumed office on June 1, 2022.

My name is Toshimasa Yamamoto and I am pleased to have become the new chairperson for the ARI Board of Directors. I look forward to working with you.

My first encounter with Asia outside of Japan was when I stayed for a year in Indonesia during my college days in 1972 as a participant on the International Christian Youth Exchange program. After returning to Japan, I visited ARI every year with my church and as a YMCA work camp member. ARI became a place where I could hear the “voice of Asia,” smell the “smells of Asia,” and taste the “food of Asia.” This unique experience, which taught me the importance of “living with Asia,” has continued for more than 40 years until today.

We will soon celebrate our 50th anniversary at ARI. Our most distinctive feature is that ARI is almost 100% self-sufficient in food production through organic farming.
As a vocational school for training rural leaders from developing countries, ARI has welcomed about 30 participants every year, regardless of their religious background, and has produced over 1500 graduates from 61 countries.

The various practices and diverse stories of our graduates are the treasures of our 50 years.
ARI’s motto, “That We May Live Together,” has contributed to building just and peaceful societies through our graduates in many parts of the world.

We are not only a place to acquire agricultural knowledge and skills but also a valuable school that provides “knowledge” and “experience” for living together.

ARI is a community where we encourage reflection on how we live our lives.
In assuming the new position as chairperson, I hope to carry on the will of my predecessor, Rev. Hoshino.

I will do my utmost to enhance the training programs further and strengthen the organization’s financial base. I want to ask for your support and prayers.

Biography of Toshimasa Yamamoto
He has served as a professor, chaplain at the School of Commerce and Dean of Chaplains at Kwansei Gakuin University.

He also served as the General Secretary of the National Christian Council in Japan(NCC – J).

He is currently the senior pastor of Logos Church of the United Church of Christ in Japan and serve as a Board of Director of the Japan Committee of the World Conference on Religions and Peace. His publications include “History of the Ecumenical Movement in Asian” (Shinkyo Publishing Co., Ltd.)

Notice of suspension towards acceptance of working visitors

Thank you for your support to ARI.

The 2022 overseas participants have been unable to come to Japan because of difficulties towards issuing visas due to the influence of COVID-19.
However, there are some participants who have gotten visas, and will come to Japan one after another from this week.

The number of rooms is limited for new participants to implement infection countermeasures against COVID-19.
Therefore, we have decided to suspend the acceptance of working visitors for a while.

We are really sorry for those who were looking forward to visiting ARI.

Acceptance is scheduled to resume after September 2022. We will inform as soon as it becomes available, so please check our website and SNS frequently, or contact us.

We will continue to accept for day-trip visitors and group visits as before.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

We will start accepting visitors

Because the state of emergency will be lifted soon, we will start accepting working visitors from October 13th.

We’re looking forward to seeing you!

【Applying】
* We ask all visitors to stay more than one week.
* Working visitors are required to submit records of body temperature 2 weeks before your arrival. Please apply in advance.

Apply from here:
https://ari.ac.jp/workingvisitor/