TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

山伏

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi on Mt. Gassan

キウイ

DAILY YAMABUSHI


Curiosity is a good place to start

July 5, 2025

AKA The Beginner’s Mind

Muscle memory

July 4, 2025

A powerful force

Do you have a genuine excuse?

July 3, 2025

Prove it.

Resistance training

July 2, 2025

The Uketamo Type

Inertia

July 1, 2025

A push in the right direction

Ready or not

June 30, 2025

Make it automatic

She is testing you

June 29, 2025

To make you a better you

FEATURE ARTICLES

Here are a few samples of what you find in my newsletter, Mountains of Wisdom.

photo of peeled banana on yellow plate and background
The MONSTROSITY that is Tokyo Banana

‘It’s a piece of crap, but I hope you like it’ - Japan.

The Slow Demise of the Japanese City

One Traffic Light at a Time

The mystical mountain men of Japan

Featuring The Legend of how Japan's most famous mountain man couldn't quite handle it

Prescribe Nature

And the ultimate in Japanese mountain warriors

person holding world globe facing mountain
Searching for your Ikigai? Read this first.

I left my Ikigai on Mt. Haguro

sushi on brown wooden board
The Best Sushi in Japan

And the red man who lead us to it

Chokai-san (Mt. Chokai)
The Dragon Deity and Japan’s Number One Rice

How a Dragon Kami gave us the best rice in Japan.

Autumn’s Peak Ritual 2024

Joining a Yamabushi Initiation Ritual

Uketamo and What The Mountains Teach You

Stop for a moment to be in the moment

Chokai-zan
Japan’s Rothschilds and The Port City of Sakata

Why do I live in Yamagata? Why don’t I live in Tokyo or Osaka with the rest of them?

coffee beans
Joining a Local Japanese Coffee Brewing Competition

Notice I didn't say 'winning'.

Yamabushi Gear Explainer: The Futodasuki Sash

The vermillion and white sash represents yin and yang, the vast cosmos and the natural world.

Atomic Habits highlights something the Japanese have known for millennia

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

The Badass Fudomyo’o: Your new Favourite Buddhist Deity

You’ll find him near waterfalls all over Japan.

Chokai-san (Mt. Chokai)
Hiking Guide: Mountains of The Shonai Region of Yamagata

Introducing the mountains in the Shonai Region of Yamagata

MOUNTAINS OF YAMAGATA

Here are a few posts of my adventures climbing the 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata.

The Pyramids of… Japan? — Yakushi-san and The OG Japan content creator (Mt. Yakushi)

Small pyramidal peak in the northern Yamagata town of Kaneyama

Mt.-Takadate-and-Shimoike-lake-in-Tsuruoka
Wetland Wonderland of Takadate-yama

Takadate-yama is short in stature, but packs a lot of punch as home to one of the only RAMSAR wetlands in Japan

Mt. Chokai
The best Fuji alternative: Chokai-san

Dewa Fuji, The Fuji of The North, Chokai-san, Mt. Chokai: Tallest peak entirely in Tohoku often said to resemble Mt. Fuji, leading to the name Dewa Fuji (after the former province of Dewa).

Mt. Ubagatake in autumn
The Widow’s Peak: Ubaga-take (Mt. Ubagatake) of North Japan

Must-see autumn alpine dreamland between the two tallest Dewa Sanzan peaks with a twisted backstory

Mt. Atsumi in Atsumi Onsen, a quaint Onsen Hot Spring town in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture
Reaching Peak Tranquility: Atsumi-dake (Mt. Atsumi)

The hidden Onsen (Hot Spring) town of Atsumi's own hidden gem

Exploring The Yamabushi Trails of Kinbo-zan (Mt. Kinbo)

Kinbo-zan is a dynamic little peak with a deep history of Shugendo.

Mt. Chokai seen from Mt. Yonetaihei in the winter
Homer Simpson’s Heaven in North Japan: The Donut-shaped Yonetaihei-san (Mt. Yonetaihei)

Tiny donut-shaped peak in Sakegawa Village of the Mogami region worthy of a snowshoe hike.

The Autumn Leaves of Mount Taizo
The Epitome of Autumn Leaves in North Japan: Taizo-san (Mt. Taizo)

Mount Taizo all but single-handedly confirms why autumn is by far the best season for hiking in Japan.

Hiking Japan’s Forgotten Highway: Sabane-yama and Ushu-Kaido (Mt. Sabane)

The odd connection between Osaka castle, the Shinkansen and Shinjuku, and the mountains of Yamagata.

Yura in Tsuruoka city seen from Mt. Arakura
The Sakura of Arakura-yama

Mountains of Sakura Cherry Blossoms and the serene Arakura Jinja await.

Mt. Shogadake
Dancing in the Day Lilies: Shoga-dake

Shoga-dake is a former Shugendo peak on Chokai-san famous for its floral brilliance.

Sign on the Nakanomata Trail up Mt. Nihonkoku
This is How I Conquered Japan!

How to conquer Japan in 60 short minutes

Zao-san and Why We Climb Mountains (Mt. Zao)

Zao-san: Snow monsters, ski fields, mountain hags, multi-coloured crater lakes, hot springs, and more.

This mountain is EVERYWHERE in Japan: Ha-yama

Former Dewa Sanzan peak in inland Yamagata Prefecture with an extensive Shugendo and Mountain Worship history.

The sun sets over the ninth station of Mt. Gassan
Gassan, the Dewa Sanzan’s “Mountain of Death” (Mt. Gassan)

The tallest Dewa Sanzan peak with a thriving Haguro Shugendo Yamabushi culture.

Yamabushi

Here are some blog posts about yamabushi.

blue and red galaxy artwork
Mt. Chokai behind a shrine in Sakata City, Japan
Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi at Yamadera in Yamagata Prefecture
YAMABUSHI

Random Posts

handwritten people notebook office
Tim Bunting AKA Kiwi Yamabushi on Zao-san
Tim Bunting AKA Kiwi Yamabushi on Zao-san

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