Home - Tim Bunting

TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

Kia ora koutou. I’m Tim Bunting, the Kiwi Yamabushi.

I’m a practicing Dewa Sanzan Yamabushi, a Japanese mountain ascetic based in Yamagata Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. Since 2016, I’ve trained in Haguro Shugendō under Master Fumihiro Hoshino through Daishobō, a pilgrim’s lodge on Haguro-san, and through Dewa Sanzan Jinja.

If you’re interested in experiencing Shugendō for yourself, check out Yamabushido.jp. Tell them I sent you.

In my spare time, I share stories from the overlooked corners of Japan, especially here in Tōhoku. I publish a Substack newsletter with over 1,500 subscribers, write a daily blog, and post videos on YouTube (over 1,000 subscribers). You’ll find me on most platforms as @kiwiyamabushi.

I’m currently on a mission to summit and document all 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata.

I’m available for:

Online consultation
Public speaking (in English or Japanese)
Guided experiences on the Dewa Sanzan (via Yamabushidō.jp or DewaSanzan.com)

As a Master Yamabushi and the creator of DewaSanzan.com, I believe I’m the most knowledgeable native English speaker on these sacred mountains.

MOUNTAINS OF YAMAGATA

Here are a few posts of my adventures climbing the 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata. Read about the project here, or view all articles here.

ALL

DAILY YAMABUSHI

Here are some of my Daily Yamabushi posts. Get more here.

We are all opportunists.

We are all opportunists. If an opportunist is someone who takes advantage of the chances that are presented to them, we are all opportunists. Whenever, wherever, however you live, you are taking advantage of the situation, you are taking the opportunity, to survive. We are all opportunists.

Believing in the invisible

Any conversation that starts with a 'you're going to think I'm stupid, but...' is going to be good. I had a Japanese friend recently tell me that they had been going through a rough patch, and to get over it, she would put a pile of salt at the door to ward off the evil, […]

Tsubuyaki Ranting

Sharing ideas makes them better. Having an idea in your head is great and everything, but by putting them into action in the real world, you can test whether they are effective. But the real test is, is it shareable? Are you able to get the support from others to truly make it remarkable? Recently […]

For someone such as yourself

"It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own." - Marcus Aurelius In Japan I noticed that there are often two reactions to what people do, either: '「以外だ」wow, that's unexpected (for someone such as yourself)', or ' 「さすが」that's exactly what we […]

An Aura of Busyness and… Pockets?

On cold winter days, I would walk around with my hands in my pockets to keep them warm. Over time, I came to realise that I was the only person doing this, I hardly ever see a Japanese person with their hands in their pockets. So I did the natural thing and asked about it. […]

When shortcuts are anything but

When offered the chance to go one way or the other, look out for the snow. Recently, I tried crossing the road about 10m away from the nearest crossing and I had already gone too far to return when I realised that there was a pile of snow in my way. Too proud to admit […]

One great trick for learning vocabulary

Learning vocabulary in a second language is by far the most time-consuming part. In my case I have been learning Japanese for more than 17 years and every day I come across a new vocabulary, or one that I failed to learn properly. Even once you've mastered the pronunciation (which should be the first thing […]