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Staff, Board, and Councillors

Staff

Osamu ArakawaDirector
Yukiko OyanagiAssociate Director, Curriculum Assistant
Kaori Sakuma Vero ’99General Manager (General Affairs Head)
Manosi Abe ChatterjeeCurriculum Coordinator (Curriculum Head)
Kai ShinodaAdmissions & Recruitment
Steven CuttingGraduate Outreach
Junko TanakaLibrarian
Joella RanaivosonCommunity Life Coordinator
Timothy B Appau ’01Chaplain, Community Life, Farm (Livestock)
Jonathan McCurleyChaplain, Community Life
Satomi McCurleyCommunity Life
Masanobu SakuraiFarm Manager
Eri Okada ’21Farm (Crops & Vegetables)
Saw Manar Shay ’10Farm (Livestock)
Nicholas Tahuyan ’08Farm (Livestock)
Ikumi KanamoriFarm (FEAST Coordinator)
Kuriko FujiyoshiFarm (FEAST)
Yuko EmuraSupporters’ Support
Yuka SugisakiAccounting
Takashi YamashitaExternal Programs & Nasu Seminar House Manager
Raku IzawaPR & Supporter’s Support
Hiromi SatoSales
Ruyipa VeroNasu Seminar House Caretaker
Marika KanekoFood Processing
Yuka MiyataniSales & General Affairs
Tomoko ArakawaDevelopment & Outreach
Jack LichtenEcumenical Relations
Makiko Abe ’18Community Nurse, Fundraising & Domestic Programs Assistant

Board of Directors

Chair of the BoardToshimasa YamamotoFormer Professor, Kwansei Gakuin University
Vice ChairMasahiko YamaneFormer Managing Director, Kagawa Education Institute of Nutrition
Managing DirectorTomoko ArakawaFormer Director, Asian Rural Institute
Board of DirectorsOsamu ArakawaDirector, Asian Rural Institute
 Shinobu AwayaAssistant Professor, Seijo University, Lawyer
 Rev. Yoshiya UshirokuPastor, UCCJ Reinanzaka Church
 Rev. Hikari Kokai ChangRepresentative Director, Wesley Foundation
 Noriaki SatoSpecial Advisor, Hotel Sunvalley Nasu
 Yoshiyuki NagataProfessor, University of the Sacred Heart
 Rev. Eiji YahagiPastor, NSKK Shimodate Anglican-Episcopal
Church
 AuditorsTomohiro OkuboFujii Industries Inc., Operating Officer
 Sakae MurataThe Y’s Men’s Club of Nasu

Board of Councillors

Osamu ArakawaDirector, Asian Rural Institute
Tomoko ArakawaFormer Director, Asian Rural Institute
Shinobu AwayaLawyer, Tono-Tanami Law Office
Takuya IizukaChair, Committee of Mission of UCCJ Kantô District;
Pastor of Ryûgasaki Church
Rev. Koshi Ito ’06Parish Priest, Roman Catholic Diocese of Niigata
Sachiko IwayaMember of Central Committee, National Tomo no Kai; Member of Yokohama Tomo no Kai
Mieko UnoProvincial, Society of the Sacred Heart Japan Province
Tomohito EbineBoard Chair, Legend Partners Ltd.
Yukiko OyanagiAssociate Director, Asian Rural Institute
Rev. Isao KikuchiArchbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo
Kaori Sakuma Vero ’99General Manager, Asian Rural Institute
Minoru SugayaProfessor Emeritus, Keio University
Sarajean RossittoNGO/NPO Consultant
Rev. Chun Sang HyunPastor, The Korean Christian Church in Japan, Sapporo Church
Tsutomu TaguchiGeneral Secretary, YMCA Japan
Yoshiyuki NagataProfessor, University of the Sacred Heart
Rev. Ban HyungWook ’83Pastor, UCCJ Nishinasuno Church
Ikko MarutaniRepresentative Director, NPO Kino Kankyô
Takashi YamashitaStaff, Asian Rural Institute
Masahiko YamaneFormer Managing Director, Kagawa Education Institute of Nutrition
Hitomi YokoteOutside Director, Moriroku Company, Ltd.

Special Advisors

Hoichi EndoFormer Staff, Asian Rural Institute
Hideharu KadowakiSpecial Advisor and Senior Fellow, The Japan Research Institute Ltd.

Founder Toshihiro Takami

Toshihiro Takami (1926–2018), a founding member of the Asian Rural Institute (ARI), was a pastor who grew up against a backdrop of war and poverty and later studied theology in the United States. The inspiration for founding the institute came from his experience in disaster relief in Bangladesh, where he witnessed a critical shortage of local leaders capable of supporting their communities.

In 1973, Takami founded ARI as a school to nurture leaders who serve the people. The institute’s unique educational approach—learning through farming and community life—is based on his core belief: “To share food is to share life.”

Having dedicated his life to raising grassroots leaders who walk alongside their communities, Takami’s spirit continues to guide the institute today.

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Koinonia Dinning Hall

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.”

Kitchen

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.

Classroom and Library

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.

Men's Dormitory & Guest House

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.

Poultry House

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.

Pig Pen

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 House

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.

Forest

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.

Fields

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 Paddies

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.

Workshop

The workshop is a space for repair and recycling activities. It contains machinery, welding equipment, woodworking tools, and a variety of materials.

Feed Mixing Room

Livestock feed is produced here using both manual and mechanical methods. Continuous efforts are made to improve feed quality and sustainability.

Administration Building

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.

ARI Shop

The shop offers ARI-grown produce, processed foods, books, and handicrafts from the home countries of ARI graduates.

Farm Shop (Agricultural Training Room)

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.

Oikos Chapel

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.”

Manna House (Food Processing Room)

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 Ponds

Fish are raised for both food and agricultural purposes.

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