Born in Fukuoka in 1986, Arai is based in Shiga.

In 2009 he graduated from Waseda University with a major in expressive arts and in 2011 he completed a master’s degree in art studies at Tama Art University. Before assuming his current position in 2015, he served as an assistant in the Department of Art Studies at Tama Art University (2011–2015).
While working closely with artists, Arai's curatorial practice centers on the effect that the relationship between the works and the space has on the appreciation experience. During the long closure of the Museum of Modern Art, Shiga for renovation work, he led the planning for the Shiga Kinbi Art Spot Project, which mounted exhibitions in venues outside the museum. This project focused on exhibiting new works by young artists with ties to Shiga, while building relationships with people in the local community. Along with the artists, he created site-specific exhibitions in spaces such as vacant storefronts and row houses and in a traditional wooden townhouse that was once a bank.