TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

山伏

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi on Mt. Gassan

キウイ

DAILY YAMABUSHI


The Greatest Training in Life

March 25, 2025

One of those days

Sustain the flame

March 24, 2025

Or blow it out

Give yourself the benefit of the doubt

March 23, 2025

And take it easy

A fighting chance

March 22, 2025

Two on ones

Defining yourself

March 21, 2025

Defining your current moment

The mystical mountain men of Japan

March 20, 2025

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

Yamabushi Gear Explainer: The Futodasuki Sash

March 20, 2025

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

FEATURE ARTICLES

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

The World’s Best Dojo

It's not where you think

The Town of Dual Dragons

And the legends they created.

My Japanese Hotel Rookie Mistake

It was the perfect plan. If only I had considered how Japanese hotels operate.

Why do Japanese Shrines have lightning-bolt tassels?

Plus the scientific basis behind it all.

Dragons and how they protect my house in Japan

One major role for dragons in Japan (besides protecting my house)

Mt. Chokai
Falling for the Gaijin Trap Trap

That is not a typo. Everyone has to fall in sometime...

Yamabushi Gear Explainer: The Futodasuki Sash

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

On Ramen: The Best Food in Japan

Yamagata in its rightful place

Mt. Ubagatake in autumn
What does it mean to be ‘Spirited Away’?

The Japanese title for Spirited Away is Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi 千と千尋の神隠し.

Kumomi: The Next Japanese Sensation

Those clouds aren't going to watch themselves!

Mountains and Moments

Focus on the step in front of you, not the mountain in the distance.

coffee beans
Joining a Local Japanese Coffee Brewing Competition

Notice I didn't say 'winning'.

I spent a week in the Japanese mountains training as an ascetic.

Here's what I learned.

Why are greengrocers called the ‘800 store’ in Japan?

Ask the wives of court nobles of the 14th century...

person standing in pathway
One with the Mountains

In your element, in the elements

MOUNTAINS OF YAMAGATA

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

Mt. Maya seen from the distance
Mythical Beasts, Buddha’s Mother, and buried Yamabushi treasure? Welcome to Maya-san (Mt. Maya).

More than one of the best hikes in Shonai

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

How to conquer Japan in 60 short minutes

Sanze village near Mt. Fujikura surrounded by green mountains and the blue Sea of Japan can be seen through the trees in the distance through the trees of Mt. Fujikura
Sanze’s Little Helper: Fantastic Fujikura-yama (Mt. Fujikura)

Fun little peak in the tiny fishing village of Sanze, Tsuruoka City

A Jizo statue at the top of Mt. Kyogakura in Sakata
Womb Passes and Monkey Crossings: Kyogakura-san “The Shugendo Peak of Sutras” (Mt. Kyogakura)

This tiny Shugendo peak and how the Japanese language got three alphabets

Mt. Haguro's Five Story Pagoda
Why This Tiny Mountain MUST be on Your Japan Itinerary: Haguro-san

Home to Haguro Shugendo and the Dewa Sanzan Yamabushi mountain monks

Kurosawa Akira, Abe Shinzo, The Kami of War, and a flock of geese?

Mountain that marks the entrance to the Kamuro Alps

Tokami-yama and The Castle of Mist

And its role in north Japan's fiercest war

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. Yamuki (Yamuki-yama) in Shinjo City
The Medieval Castle and Mighty River of Yamuki-yama (Mt. Yamuki)

Tiny peak that was home to a medieval castle along the banks of the mighty Mogami River.

THIS. IS. YAMAGARTA: Japan’s 300 Moment. 

How this tiny peak turned feudal Japan’s biggest battle on its head

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 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.

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

Mother. Hunter. Mountain. Hokari-yama (Mt. Hokari)

Kinbo Shugen Mountain with a strange name and amazing trails amongst the autumn leaves

Yamabushi

Here are some blog posts about yamabushi.

Mt. Ubagatake in autumn
Tim Bunting AKA Kiwi Yamabushi on Zao-san
YAMABUSHI

Random Posts

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