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.

The right to complain

Does the phrase 'Every Situation Is Different' mean anything to you? This is the unofficial motto of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, and describes how wherever you go in the country, you will be in a different position to someone else on the programme. In my case, I was sent to Shonai town […]

Bred for bread

A couple of weeks ago I arrive home, walk into the kitchen, and I was presented with a toaster. Now, you may not think much of this, but if you've ever been to Japan, you would know that they have the weirdest, but still tasty, bread. Bread is typically sold in supermarkets based on number […]

Local business, local knowledge

In the middle of the rice fields on the edge of Tsuruoka City in the Shonai region of Yamagata, Japan, lies Suiden Terrasse, a newly built hotel designed to blend into the surrounding rice paddies. It was designed by world-renown architect, Shigeru Ban, who also designed Christchurch's Cardboard Cathedral, and was won numerous awards for […]