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.

Learn by Doing, Learn by Living

It’s not very often that we are impacted by the way someone lives rather than what they say. Too often we use words to try and convince people to act a certain way, yet we all know that actions speak louder than words. If you really want to make a change for the better, you […]

For the Benefit of the Audience

From what I've witnessed in Japan, it appears that there isn't much consideration for the audience in many different places; service industry, schools, presentations, etc. It's more as if the person is doing it for their own sake, not for the benefit of the audience. Whenever I make something, anything, I always consider how the […]

Don’t believe the hype

The other day I picked up a SUV that we will be renting for the next few weeks. It’s a little bit different to my Prius, it’s higher, and it has more bells and whistles, it’s also noticeably bigger inside and that coupled with the height makes a huge difference when turning sharply. I’m not […]

Connecting with People

Why is it that we connect well with some people, and some people not at all? I have a few friends who I can share anything with, but there are some people who are close to me that I don’t feel comfortable talking to about some things. Maybe it depends on the topic? Or maybe […]

Kiwi Insights

Haruki Murakami was asked what he thinks about when he runs. His answer was that only someone who doesn't run would ask that question. What an awesome response! It's like that whole, if you're worrying about the meaning of life, you're not living thing. Basically, it's the doing that counts, not what to think of […]

Changing Minds, Changing Emotions

Don't change your mind twice if it affects someone else. Recently I was working on a joint project with another group, and that other group claimed full ownership part-way through. They were able to do that because we didn't have a formal agreement, and they did have a rightful claim, but of course I was […]

Locals and the Default Option

Why don't locals take the default option? What is it about us that we a predisposed to not rate where we are from? I could be making this up, and it is entirely anecdotal, but I find the same thing in Japan as in New Zealand, where we just think the place we grew up […]