Manish Jain is a graduate of Harvard University who once pursued a high-profile career with global institutions such as UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and Morgan Stanley.
While working on the frontlines of international development, he became disillusioned with the dominant paradigms of modern education and economics—and made a radical shift in his life’s direction.
Based in Udaipur, India, he has since dedicated himself to exploring alternatives rooted in deschooling, gift economy, localization, and nonviolence.
Now, on his first visit to Japan, Manish invites us into a dialogue on “unlearning”—the art of letting go of conditioned knowledge—and “alivelihoods,” pathways to living in alignment with our values and communities.
Together, let us reimagine and regenerate how we live, learn, and relate in these shifting times.
Events in Japan
🌼 for details, please check out each event page
- 8/2（Sat）17:30〜20:30 ＠Kokubunji, Tokyo with Shinichi Tsuji
→ go to event page - 8/3（Sun）13:00〜17:00 ＠Ariake, Tokyo with Akiko Horii
→ go to event page - 8/4（Mon）13:00〜18:00 ＠Abiko, Chiba with Asato Nakamura & Kaho Kamiki
→ go to event page - 8/5（Tue）10:00〜15:00 ＠Isumi, Chiba with Akane Jishage & Misako Nakajima
→ go to event page - 8/6（Wed）14:00〜17:00 ＠Mitaka, Tokyo with Hiroshi Yamada & Nao Suzuki
→ go to event page - 8/8（Fri）15:30〜18:00 ＠Hayama, Kanagawa with Yuki Imoto
→ go to event page - 8/9（Sat）14:30〜16:30 ＠Suzuka, Mie with Hiroko Katayama
→ go to event page
YouTube of Manish and the Japan tour
About Manish
Manish Jain
After graduating from Harvard University, Manish Jain worked as an international consultant with UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and Morgan Stanley. Over time, his direct involvement in global education and development led to a growing disillusionment with the very systems he once served. He eventually left his career to dedicate himself to community-based learning and social transformation in India.
For over 25 years, Manish has pioneered innovative approaches to education and cultural regeneration. He co-founded Swaraj University, a self-directed learning space without degrees or formal curricula, and helped initiate the Ecoversities Alliance, a global network of alternative higher education initiatives.
His work centers on unlearning, deschooling, gift culture, localization, and the revitalization of local knowledge systems. He has collaborated with global thinkers like Satish Kumar and Helena Norberg-Hodge, and continues to support communities in reimagining education and livelihoods.
Based in Udaipur with his wife and daughter, Manish lives a life of unschooling and ecological simplicity, integrating learning, farming, dialogue, and art into everyday living.
- Shikshantar: The Peoples’ Institute for Re-thinking Education and Development
- Swaraj University: an experimental learning community for khoji-seekers
- Ecoversities Alliance
- YouTube”Manish Jain: Reimagining Education”／Local Futures 2019
About the organizers
Kai Sawyer
Kai was born in Tokyo in 1983, and studied psychology, education, and sustainability at the University of California, Santa Cruz. After graduating, he taught psychology and education at the university while also running the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP) with students, where students learn about sustainability in a practical way. Through ESLP, he began working with peace activists Satish Kumar (Schumacher College), Vandana Shiva (Navdanya/Earth University), and Marshall Rosenberg (Nonviolent Communication). He then lived with monkeys in the jungles of Costa Rica, where he experienced a deep encounter with the earth.
In 2012, he attended the Graduate Program in Sustainability Sciences at the University of Tokyo Graduate School, but felt that he could not change society and decided to voluntarily drop out after a year and a half. Currently, he is conducting practical educational activities on topics such as “regenerative living,” “deep ecology,” and “consciousness” at the “Permaculture and Peace Dojo” in Isumi City, Chiba Prefecture.
Books
「Urban Permaculture Guide」
「みんなのちきゅうカタログ」
Movies
「TERRA ぼくらと地球のくらし方」
Hiromi Iwase (Romy)
Hiromi was born in Tokyo, raised in Yokohama and New York, and graduated Sophia University. Attracted to performing arts such as music, theater, and dance from an early age, she gained a wide range of experience. In her 20s, she began working as a narrator, belly dancer and teacher.
In 2016, she moved to Kamakura and shifted to slow life in harmony with nature. Since 2019, she has been involved in grassroots initiatives in Japan focused on waste reduction, permaculture, and non-violent communication. In 2024, she joined NGO Peace Boat’s global voyage as a cruise staff, deepening her commitment to peace activism and reimagining education.
Currently based in Bali. she works in the marketing team at Earth Company, a general incorporated association that seeks to create regenerative ways for people, society, and nature to co-prosper. As a member of Ecoversities Alliance, she launched “Watsumugi Journey,” which plans fieldwork and learning journeys around the world.
