Home - Tim Bunting

TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

Kia ora Koutou, I'm Tim Bunting, The Kiwi Yamabushi. I am a practicing Dewa Sanzan Yamabushi Japanese mountain ascetic (What's a Yamabushi?). I have been living in Yamagata, Tohoku, north Japan, since 2010. Since 2016, I have trained as a yamabushi under Master Fumihiro Hoshino through Daishobo pilgrim's lodge on Haguro-san, and through Dewa Sanzan Jinja. If you want to find out more about how you too can train in the ways of Shugendo, check out Yamabushido.jp (tell them I sent you).

In my spare time I write stories about the overlooked side of Japan, namely up here in the Tohoku region. I write a daily blog, have a newsletter with over 1,000 subscribers, have a YouTube channel also with over 1,000 subscribers, and am on most socials as @kiwiyamabushi.

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

I am available for online consultation, public speaking in both English and Japanese, and I am able to guide you on The Dewa Sanzan mountains by working through Yamabushido.jp or DewaSanzan.com. As a Master Yamabushi and the creator of Dewasanzan.com, I believe I am the most knowledgable native English speaker on these three 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.

The Podcasting Fellowship: Why me?

Why are you uniquely suited to produce and host this podcast? My identity as a non-Japanese Bilingual Yamabushi means that I have access to thousands of years' worth of ancient knowledge and philosophy right in front of my eyes, coupled with the ability to portray that in native English. After a few years of translating, …

The Podcasting Fellowship: Why me? Read More »

Health is wealth

I’d rather be healthy and poor than not healthy and rich beyond my wildest dreams. Looking after yourself should be more important than any job, always. Whenever you’re out on a run, think of it as adding to your health. The same thing goes for when you eat. Always choose something healthy, health is wealth.

That wasn’t so hard, was it?

Even at the age of 31, I’m amazed how often I say these words to myself. Isn’t it amazing that after all this time, you still find a way to talk yourself out of the littlest things that when put together, become the biggest things? Being able to get past these seemingly little tasks must …

That wasn’t so hard, was it? Read More »