Daily Yamabushi

Why you Need to Delete Instagram and Twitter

It may seem counterintuitive, but when done right, restrictions can in fact be very freeing.

It’s been a few months now since I removed Twitter and Instagram from my phone*. This has allowed me to focus more on what is important. I’m not constantly doom-scrolling, AKA wasting time, and instead I can turn that energy into efforts for creating content such as this blog. I certainly benefit from these efforts, and I hope that you do to (it’s why I do it).

Plus, a blank page is just that, a blank page. Sometimes there’s too much possibility it can be so daunting that we never get started. But if we restrict ourselves to only writing a certain type of thing, or even a certain word count, this helps us prioritise what is truly necessary.

Rather than babbling on about things that don’t push the narrative, now all we’re left with is the core message we wanted to say from the outset. While its true that these restrictions limit the amount of things you can do, i.e. they can be seen as the complete opposite of freeing, the clarity and focus they bring truly do feel like a gift from above at the best of times.

Go ahead. Try it.

For starters, get rid of Instagram and Twitter. This way you’re all but forced to work on the work. Alternatively, give yourself some sort of restriction for your work, a specific topic, or a word count perhaps. It may seem counterintuitive, but the feeling the clarity and focus lead to are extremely freeing.

* To be honest, I have since reinstated Instagram. Reason being, I no longer feel the urge to constantly be checking it. They also make it extremely annoying to post without the app, unlike Twitter.

Instantly remember big numbers in Asian Languages. Works the other way around too!

For ‘Asian Languages’, I’m referring to languages that use words for numbers with four instead of three zeros. Instead of ‘ten thousand’, it’s ‘one ten thousand’. Instead of ‘one hundred million’, it’s ‘one one hundred million’. Chinese and Japanese immediately come to mind.

Learning an Asian language such as Japanese or Chinese is really fun. I love how the languages sound, not to mention the culture and history behind them. Plus, it simply feels good when you can finally get people to understand you.

However, if you’re not used to it, as simple a thing as numbers can be really tough to remember. Especially in the spur of the moment, say when you’re interpreting or wanting to impress someone.

And not even that big a number either.

From ten thousand, the way we say numbers is completely different. For example, the term for 10,000 yen, or about $100, is ‘one ten thousand’, ichi-man (then add ‘en’ for yen). Then for 100,000 yen, about $1,000, it’s ‘ten ten thousands’, Ju-man.

Simple. Right?

But what about larger numbers? What about populations of countries, like China for example? What about millions, or even billions of dollars?

If you can remember the terms interchangeably straight off the bat, well done to you.

But for the rest of us…

Here’s the trick

The trick is: memorise how to say large numbers that have some sort of meaning to you.

For example, the population of my hometown in New Zealand is about 100,000. I remember the scale of the city, and how to say it. Ju-man, just like before with $1,000.

Million is easy. New Zealand’s population is about 5 million. Go-hyaku-man. Therefore by recalling the population of NZ in Japanese, I can instantly remember the word for ‘million’, hyaku-man.

Tens of million is a bit trickier. I usually stick to the population of England for some odd reason, Go-sen-go-hyaku-man. I guess it’s because the number is more stable than the number of sheep in New Zealand, ni-sen-nana-hyaku-man. Sen-hyaku-man.

100 million is easy too. The population of Japan; Ichi-oku-ni-sen-nana-hyaku-man. Although I’m pretty sure it’s less than that now. Ichi-oku.

1 billion is getting out of hand a bit. Here we’re talking the populations of China, India, or perhaps easier to remember, the world; Hachi-ju-oku. Hence Ju-oku means billion.

How to remember terms for money in Asian languages

Interchanging between currencies gets a bit troublesome, but the trick still works. For Japanese yen, you need to remove two zeros. ¥1,000 is about $10. ¥1,000,000 is about $10,000.

Again, remember to associate each denomination with something personal.

Hyaku-man is about what you’d use for the cost of a car. Sen-man the cost of a house. Oku the amount in my bank account. Ju-oku my future income.

You get the point.

Pick a number at each scale that has a meaning to you. Then, memorize that and the corresponding numbers. After that, the next time you need to recall these numbers, think of the thing you memorized. All you have to do is replace the number you memorised with the number you need to say. Granted, it takes a little bit of effort and getting used to. But you aren’t relying on your fingers and toes anymore.

A lesson from yamabushi (mountain ascetic) training

During yamabushi training, we are often awoken by the sound of the conch. Often in the middle of the night, and often very abruptly.

The first few times it happens, you instinctively put your robes on as soon as you wake up through fear of not being ready.

But this is exactly what you shouldn’t do. The master even reminds you of this before you go to sleep.

‘On the first conch, we wake. On the second conch, we put on our robes. On the third conch…

However short, the time between the first and second conches is a grace period. In a way, it’s your time of day to get your bearings, to have a little breather.

But if you’re nervous about what lies ahead, and for first-timers this is understandable, you skip right ahead to the next part, completely missing your chance for a break.

With experience comes confidence. The confidence to put on your robes after the second conch. Or in other words, the confidence to deal with things, the confidence to back yourself, when things happen.

Not prematurely.

Too often we expect the worse, and we prepare for it too. But the worse hasn’t happened yet, and it may never happen.

Best to have the confidence in yourself to deal with it if and when it arises.

In the meantime, enjoy that break.

The purpose of the process isn’t to reach the goal. The purpose of the goal is to get you into the process.

My friend’s teacher.

You may not have realised it at the time, but there are many systems you have used successfully to date. To obtain a skill, any skill, you must have used some sort of system.

This means you persevered with what you thought was the right way, even though you weren’t 100% certain. It also means you likely changed things up when the system wasn’t exactly working the way you wanted, and you didn’t get the results you wanted.

This explains the concept of ‘do’ as in the way or the path that is so common in Japanese traditional practices.

You would have set yourself goals along the way, a passing mark on a grade, a personal best, perhaps even becoming number one in the world.

But what you didn’t do when the goal was reached was give up, right? You didn’t allow yourself to just give up the ghost right then and there.

Or maybe you did.

If you did so, you were focused on goals thinking, not system thinking.

If you had focused on system thinking, there’s a chance you’d still be at it. Because you know that the goal isn’t the goal. The system is the goal.

Didn’t reach your goal? Continue with the system. Reached your goal? Continue with the system.

The system doesn’t care whether you pass or fail. All the system cares about is that it exists, and that it is fed.

Systems thinking is the ‘do’.

Now even if you somehow manage to get a one-hit wonder, and you feel that your work will never live up to your previous best.

You may be right.

But the system doesn’t care.

Think about the pursuit as a ‘do’, not some isolated goal. Then the next time you feel like giving up, it’s just a temporary thing. It’s just a blip along the way.

It’s just part of the ‘do’.

How to deal with regrets and anxieties Shugendo-style

It’s hard to focus on anything but the current moment when you’re faced with a snowbank a couple hundred metres long.

It’s not that we’re ignoring our regrets or anxieties. They still exist. However, they can’t take precedence over the current moment, and we don’t let them either.

Yamabushi training constantly is constantly aimed at putting you in the moment. That’s because the current moment is all that exists.

Here, now, self.

One minute you’re focusing your footsteps on some precarious snowy cliff, the next you’re staring at a wall deep in meditation. There is no reading or writing, as these take you out of the moment. Similarly, there are no watches or clocks.

The past doesn’t matter. The past is now but a collection of memories. It adds up to the current moment, but it doesn’t exist.

The future doesn’t exist. Your anxieties about the future are not relevant when you’re focusing on being in the moment.

Focusing on the moment gives you that all important perspective needed to help deal with things that are all in our mind.

Systems thinking is more than just building great habits. It’s about getting through too.

One of the most important things my dad ever taught me was that when you are going through a hard time, you have to, have to, maintain regular habits. It’s why making your bed every day is so important. Eating properly and getting good exercise just as much.

In fact, they become all the more important when you’re in the recovery stage.

Besides building beneficial habits, having default systems in place that you know like the back of your hand can simply help you get through. Sometimes that is all we can hope for, but soon enough we will be back on our feet.

For example, when I try to get back into the habit of swimming regularly after an extended break, I have a set workout. I won’t bore you with swimming talk, but it’s based on percentages of effort with plenty of rest time in between. This helps me develop that all-important stamina, and I let my body decide when I’m ready to up the ante.

Similarly, having a regular system in place that means you simply focus on getting through the day as stress-free as possible is tantamount. You already know what this means for your unique situation, and it’s important that you allow yourself to get around to it. Then it’s just a matter of time before you’re ready and willing to get out there and show the world what you’re made of.

Systems thinking versus goal thinking

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

James Clear

Goals are finite. They have a beginning, when you set them. A middle, when you’re working on them. And a definitive end, when you’re done with them.

Unless you have yet another related goal in mind, when you’re finished with one goal, you’re kind of done.

That’s it.

That’s all she wrote.

What’s worse is that this doesn’t matter whether you achieve the goal or not.

If you achieve it, great! Well done! If you don’t, you’re worthless. Should probably go home right now.

So what’s the solution?

Systems thinking.

James Clear’s book Atomic Habits has a comprehensive argument why goals are out, and systems are in.

Systems thinking is having an ongoing process. Rather than working towards one thing at a time, you’re working on a system that purposely has no end. A system that these goals are simply a side effect of.

In system thinking, the goal isn’t the goal. It may be part of it, but it isn’t the be all and end all. The goal is a system that keeps you striving not matter what goals you achieve along the way.

Sound familiar? It should.

道, Do or Michi is the path or the way.

With this path, there is no end.

It’s a consistent and constant process of betterment. It’s about improving yourself at every step in the aims of improvement, but not with one single goal in mind.

If there were to be a goal, it would consciously, knowingly, and willingly keep shifting.

Just like systems thinking.

I remember an interview with a now elderly kendo practitioner. They said that they only really felt any semblance of mastery after practicing for twenty-odd years. That the thing with the way is that you get better incrementally over time. So that by the time you’ve done it for years, you’ve benefitted from the passing of time.

This is straight up systems thinking. And its been part of Japanese culture for millennia now.

Sado, the way of tea, tea ceremony. Kado, the way of flowers, flower arranging. Judo, the way of the passive. Kendo, the way of the sword. In my case, Shugendo, the way of gaining supernatural powers through ascetic training.

The way is straight up systems thinking.

All of these are about the way in which we improve. Not through setting goals, but through setting up systems within which the goals are mere milestones.

This way, whether you succeed or fail in a goal, you still have something more to strive for. You still have a chance for betterment, and that goal isn’t simply forgotten. It’s added into the mix, and it helps you as you go along the way.

How to get through the resistance

Say you’re a stuck video creator or a writer. How would you see a creator you admire approaching not only individual pieces, but your work as a whole? How could seeing the world through their eyes change your work for the better?

Third-person thinking is taking a problem and trying to see it through not only your eyes, but the eyes of someone more able than you. Or at least someone perceived as so.

While you may not exactly be able to emulate them, at the very least you should be able to see a different approach to the same problem. By looking at the problem this way, you could even ask yourself whether a solution exists in the first place.

Better still, it’s still your work, although you will need to be careful to maintain your own style.

Give it a try the next time you’re stuck!

Until now, I have summited 29 of the 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata.

You’ll see that I put an emphasis on backstory. There are so many legends in Yamagata Prefecture, and many that involve mountains that for me really make the hike. You’re not just hiking the mountain for the sake of hiking, you’re hiking to experience a slice of history that in some cases is millennia old. That for me is the real charm of hiking in Yamagata.

Without further ado, here are my top five hikes in no particular order:

Arakura-yama: A mountain with views of cherry blossoms, the Sea of Japan, and the tiny port town of Yura, all topped off with a mystical forest shrine.

Okina-san: A mountain on the edge of Yamagata Prefecture with a scintillating backstory that keeps you intrigued at every turn on the misty peak.

Maya-san: A former Shugendo mountain with another legendary backstory, and buried yamabushi treasure.

Yozo-san: Part of an ancient trail between the eastern and western coasts of northern Japan with a crazy backstory full of unique places to explore like frog ponds and phantom falls.

Taizo-san: Just an all-round amazing hike through the autumn leaves.

A tip for constant evolution

Every situation is your proving ground. Every situation is your chance to learn, your chance to prove yourself.

But you have to treat it as such.

The only way to take full advantage of this. You always have to see yourself as the one with the most to learn. To treat each situation as the learning opportunity it is.

This is the beginner’s mindset. And this how you gain from any situation.

Beware the comparison

It’s easy to compare ourselves with people like us. People who had the same upbringing, people in the same demographic, people in the same psychographic.

But we’re all different. We’re all born differently, and we’re all brought up differently. We all live according to different values, and different views.

If we weren’t, life would be too predictable and plain boring.

It’s the difference that makes things different. It’s the difference that makes things unique.

This is exactly why it’s futile to compare others as well. It’s why any comparison of you, even by someone close to you, should be taken with a mountain of salt.

It’s not a level playing field. It never was. It never will be.

Play your own game. Mind others as much as they come into your game, but don’t compare yourself to them. They’ve got their own game to play.

The game’s not over yet.

Not even close.

The irony that it came from the first Beatle to die isn’t lost on me, but the concept of borrowed time is something we should always be cognizant of.

Zen teaches us all that exists is here, now, and self. Zen also teaches us the importance of savouring here, now, and self. For example, through the practice of meditation, but also importantly through eating.

In zen, we are taught to savour every bite. We are taught to stop and chew slowly, while thinking about everything that had to come together for us to even have a meal in the first place.

We are living on borrowed time, so the zen monks are right. If at any given moment we can’t stop to be cognizant of what’s going on, then are we truly living?

Stop to savour the moment. Stop to relax, and just let yourself be. Borrowed time isn’t something to be afraid of. It’s to be embraced, and treated with respect. Just like the zen monks.

Maintaining that all important momentum

There is a certain point within any project where you simply either don’t feel like putting in the effort, or your circumstances don’t allow you to.

For now, at least.

This is prime resistance territory. This is your mind working against you to stem the flow of output.

Don’t let it.

At times, simply doing the bare minimum is enough. If anything, the bare minimum puts you in the all-important state of mind of ‘here, I did this’. The state of mind necessary to get through to the next part of the project. It may not be your best work (it might be, though?), and at least you can live to fight another day.

Keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Don’t let the resistance get the better of you.

Maintain momentum.

Stay in the game.

Be back bolder than ever when the next chance arises. Because it always arises.

Be kind to yourself

If you have the opportunity to make a world of difference to someone’s life, then that’s what you do.

Even, no, especially, if that person is yourself.

Too often we have the chance to make things better, but we fail to see the bigger picture and we fail to act.

Give yourself a break. It might make a world of difference.

A tip for getting past those tedious tasks

When you have a whole lot of things you need to do, do what gives you the greatest utility. Do what has the most cascading effects.

This is made even the more truer when that task happens to be a tedious one. We often put off that sort of task, hoping it will somehow do itself. When you do it though, not only do you get the satisfaction of getting through a tedious task, you also have the effects of the utility it provides.

So how about it? Is there something you’ve been putting off simply because it’s a nuisance? Something that could help push things forward? Sometimes you just need to buck it up, dedicate some time to getting it done

Then follow through with it.

Tips from a serial blogger (4 years and counting)

First of all, good on you for deciding to do what is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. As it currently stands, I’m yet to make any money directly from this writing. However, there have been uncountable other benefits in my life:

Clearer thinking, better ideas, for example.

Either way, today marks four years of daily blog posts. I have zero regrets for doing this.

Although, there are a number of things I’d do differently.

Here are my top three:

1. Write for a specific audience. Not yourself.

Keep it specific, stupid.

Have someone in mind when you write. Someone other than yourself.

I only recently started writing for other people. For the longest time I thought my blog should be all about myself.

Put simply, it’s much more valuable to apply these lessons to an n greater than one. Especially if that n is already thinking these things.

In saying that, have someone specific in mind. One I have heard of is your self from five years ago.

This is perfect.

Another person is someone junior to you who could benefit from your life lessons. A niece or nephew. Your own child, perhaps.

Plus, it’s not as if these lessons don’t apply to yourself.

By focusing on the other, you make the reading more readable. You make the reading more accessible to the people who you ultimately wish to serve.

Which is what it’s all about. Writing for impact.

2. Get the bad writing out of the way. That’s how you write well.

The way you write well, is by getting the bad writing out of the way.

My writing has gotten better. I can feel it. Just read some of my older work.

I feel bad for the people reading my old posts. Now I have to try extra hard to make sure the good posts outnumber the bad. That’s the only way I can reduce the chances of people hitting those bad posts.

Well, besides deleting them, of course.

However:

I say bad, but again I have zero regrets for those posts. They were all part of the process of getting here. These posts all add up to the pursuit of better writing.

Without those posts, I’d be back at square one.

Now I’m at square 1400-something.

Put in the reps. Write every day even if it isn’t your best.

This is the guaranteed way to grow.

3. Build as little friction as possible in your writing

Build a system of pumping out an article and hitting publish without putting too much thought into it.

Easier said than done, yes.

But not impossible.

I use the Ulysses App. Have been for the past few months, and I must say, I can’t believe there was a time I didn’t use it.

These days it’s so easy to just pick up your phone whenever an idea pops into your head. Then you just need to add a few bullet points and you have the making of an article.

You need to be able to hit publish as easily as possible. Ulysses means I can do this to both my blog and medium.com at the same time.

Ulysses also means I have a back up of my posts if either of those fail. It’s like another copy of my brain. All these ideas and they are (somewhat) categorised.

The only thing left to do, is to publish them.

Which you should be doing at regular intervals.

A day is a good interval.

All up

All up, writing daily has been one of the best decisions of my life. I’m so glad I picked this up. I feel I can better communicate my thoughts concisely, and that to me is worth a million bucks. Plus, I find myself constantly thinking of the next thing to say. This has helped develop what I believe are better thought patterns.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

So remember:

1. Write for someone specific. An n of one besides yourself is a great place to start.
2. Don’t worry about the bad writing. It’s all part of a process until you get to the good stuff. Just keep at it regularly.
3. Make a system where hitting publish on the regular becomes second nature.
   

Then just watch the ideas flow (but don’t forget to hit publish).

The Mandalorian famously translates it as ‘this is the way’. But how would you translate the word ‘do’, as in Judo, Kado, Sado, Kendo, or in my case, Shugendo?

While the way or the path are both apt translations, I can’t help but think a more accurate, more easily understood translation for English speakers exists.

I propose process, or pursuit.

Process

I’ve previously said that process is one way to translate ‘do’. Process is something that is ongoing, that has no end, and involves making conscious improvements and iterations at every turn.

Process is very close to do.

Pursuit

Then again, pursuit also seems to fit the bill. Pursuit has a connotation of constantly moving forward, of continuously working towards better. Like process, pursuit also has no end, and for this reason, I think it more closely represents what is reflected in the word ‘do’.

The way, the path, the process, the pursuit

The way or the path are both perfectly fine words to use for ‘do’. However, they seem more like literal translations, rather than translations of the meaning. In my opinion, as a practitioner of Shugendo, process or pursuit seem more fitting a translation.

Either way

No matter which way you put it, everything is a do.

When you make a mistake, when something doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would, it all becomes fodder for the do. It can all be used as information for how to go about things next time.

And remember, as there is no end to the do, there is always a next time.

The exercise you do, is the exercise you should do

‘The exercise you do, is the exercise you should do’

Tim Ferriss, or at least something along those lines.

I believe it was in Tim Ferriss’ Four Hour Body, but when talking about getting around to doing exercise, the exercise you do, is the exercise you should do.

In essence:

Focus on what you can actually do, and are actually doing, rather than what we should be doing, but aren’t.

Getting caught up in the latest fads.

Not doing something unless we can do it in the ‘correct’ way.

Not doing something because we have analysis paralysis.

Not doing something because we don’t have our favourite t-shirt on.

Not doing something because the weather isn’t right.

Not doing something because we got up on the wrong side of the bed.

These are all just excuses.

While you may not be able to do something amazingly well every time you go about it, at least you’re doing it.

First we need to make sure we do the thing in the first place. Even the bare minimum.

Start with what you can do.

Then make sure you do it.

I once asked a Zen monk whether there were any people who were enlightened. He told me there were millions, hundreds of millions, even.

Someone who is enlightened is living in the now. They are living entirely on instinct. They are doing what they want to do, when they want to do it.

And they don’t care either which way about it.

Can you think of anyone that fits that category?

Babies.

Babies are living in the now. They sleep when they want to sleep. They eat (or cry) when they want to eat. They poop when they want to poop.

Babies don’t give a rat’s arse.

Because they’re enlightened.

As we grow older, not only are we trained out of our creativity. Turns out we are also trained out of our ability to be in the now.

There are obviously practical benefits to this. It takes a lot of effort by others to raise a baby. Plus, no one likes the people with a silver spoon up their arse.

But the focus on living in the now still needs to be there. We still need to focus on doing what our soul is trying to tell us to do.

Otherwise, the universe will let us know one way or the other.

Get back to being a baby.

Get back to being enlightened.

Always give your best, no matter where you are on the ladder. This is especially true if you’re near the bottom. Anything else, and you miss valuable opportunities to develop and grow.

Those opportunities are so much bigger when you’re near the bottom of the ladder.

You may not feel it in the moment, but you will definitely be glad you put in the reps. You will definitely be glad you put in your best effort.

Having put in the reps is such a crucial part in developing any skill. You really notice this if you can see an example of your previous best effort.

Your previous best effort is often laughable. Never let this stop you from putting in the reps, at your best, though!

All lessons come from nature. Anything else is someone’s interpretation of a lesson from nature.

This isn’t to take away from those interpretations, however. Those interpretations do indeed bring valuable insights that can help as you go about attaining the lessons, purposefully or not.

True lessons come from experiencing things for yourself. They come from the realisations you have as you move about the world.

The more you move about the world, the more realisations you have. The more you interact with others and share realisations, the easier it is for you to have them for yourself.

Let nature be the teacher is all about opening yourself up to the opportunities to learn and grow that surround us.

So, let nature be the teacher.

Made of mountains, the literal meaning of Yamagata. When you live here, the namesake practically hits you in the face. The place is simply surrounded by mountains at every turn. From the Fuji of North Japan, Chokai-san, to the tiny Kashiwagi-yama on Tobishima Island, or the heights of Zao-san, Yamagata Prefecture sure does have some fun places to explore.

However, many people only stick to the more well-known peaks. This is in most likelihood because they are, in fact, more well-known. But if Yamagata Prefecture has enough mountains to make a 100 Famous Mountains list (it actually has more than 2,500 mountains, but that’s a story for another time), surely many people are missing something, right?

Right. They are.

Having now climbed a third of the 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata, I felt it was high time to choose my top three mountains to hike in 2023.

So let’s do it!

The Mysterious Marshes and Phantom Falls of Yozo-san

Smack-bang in the middle of the rice fields to the east of central Sakata lies a peculiar sight; a 720 m long beige and red castle wall. Known as Kinowanosaku, this is the remains of an ancient Heian Period (794-1185) castle that was part of the Dewa Province government jurisdiction.

Well, this castle used to connect to current-day Tagajo City to the north of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture. It did so by via Yozo Toge, The Yozo Pass between Sakata City, and Sakegawa Village.

This isn’t the only interesting part in the history of Yozo-san. The name Yozo comes from a legendary story about Yozo-Numa, The Yozo Pond (read my article for more on this myth).

Not only does Yozo-san boast an impressive backstory, it’s also an incredible hike. My recommendation is to go with some friends and do The Yozo Loop, starting at Hanesawa Onsen in Sakegawa.

This trail takes you through a beech forest over mountain streams and first up to the summit of Yozo-san.

And then the fun begins.

Your descent takes you past lookouts with expansive views of Shinjo City, the Shonai coast, and even to Taizo-san and Chokai-san. Passing through a dense forest the whole way, you’ll come out at Yozo-Numa, The Yozo Marsh mentioned earlier.

Return to the main path and you’ll come to another marsh full of morigaeru frogs. Soon you will reach a river valley where you’ll find The Phantom Falls, an eclectic collection of waterfalls.

Then all you have to do is drive back to your car, and enjoy a soak in Hanesawa Onsen’s hot springs.

The extinct volcano and precariously placed shrines of Murayama Hayama

Murayama Hayama is an extinct volcano that lying right besides Gassan, but on the inland Yamagata side.

By far the best time to climb Murayama Hayama is during the autumn leaves, but it’s still a very worthwhile hike during the fresh green of summer.

Leaving from the Shiminso, the trail takes you up to the volcano rim at the field of flowers. The hike until here is through various forests, and there are one or two spots to stop for the view.

Once you reach the rim, keep following the trail around clockwise. Eventually you’ll come across the peaks Kozo-mori and Ozo-mori before reaching the real summit. Along the way you will find yourself surrounded with expansive views of not only the inner workings of the volcano, but the vistas of the villages, mountains, and rivers of inland Yamagata.

Off in the distance you will see Hakuban Jinja, which makes a great destination for a day hike. This coupled with the autumn leaves makes for a great day out.

Myth meets mist at Okina-san

Okina-san is located at the end of a long forest road on the borders of Obanazawa City and Miyagi Prefecture. Its remote location means it is extremely hard to get to, but this only makes it that much more worthwhile a hike.

Okina-san is named after the legend of an old man turned great Kami deity. While you’re there, keep an eye out for an old dude, or a white deer supposed to be prowling around.

The hike begins at the Harima hut, a red-roofed hut in the middle of a clearing in the middle of a dense forest. From there the forest only gets denser.

After hiking over multiple mountain streams, up numerous valleys with glorious vistas, and along steep slopes, you’ll come out among a low bamboo forest. Soon you’ll reach the summit where 360 degree views of Miyagi Prefecture and Obanazawa City, and beyond, abound.

Then keep following the path straight, and you’ll do a loop through the bamboo forest, taking in the view the whole way. Finally there will be a right hand turn that takes you back to through the dense forests and back to the Harima Hut.

But not before having to climb down steep slopes with ropes, or crossing a few mountain streams.

In Conclusion

If I hadn’t started the 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata project, I would never have found these trails.

I am so glad I did.

Not only do I get to explore these places for myself, I get to share them with you.

Get off the beaten path. Then go even further, with these three magnificent mountains.

I get asked how I can write a blog every day, and honestly, it’s not that hard.

Make putting out something on the regular the requirement for doing it in the first place. Then make it that you’re either already working on the next thing, or have the idea well enough rooted that you can come back to it straight away after a break.

This makes the act of putting things out not seem like as much of a priority. The output becomes all part of a much larger creativity process, and the cycle continues.

That’s how you write every day.

Hope is trust in the unknown. We place our trust in the unknown when we wish for better.

Fear is distrust in the unknown. When we fear, we expect the worse.

The unknown is the unknown.

And that’s precisely why we shouldn’t waste our time worrying about it.

We shouldn’t fear the unknown. We don’t know what’s going to happen. And if we build skills that prove our resilience, we prove we have the ability to deal with the unknown, no matter the outcome.

Don’t fear the unknown.

Trust it.

A keen running friend of mine once noted that when preparing for a marathon, many people neglect focusing on consecutive run hours. In other words, many people put their focus on achieving distances rather than running for time. They assume the aggregate of their running hours will suffice.

In certain cases, like people who have done it before, it might just.

But when you’re trying to build a habit, time on task is about as important a principle as it gets.

Rather than focusing on doing the task well, first focus on doing the bare minimum. Focus on the sensation of doing it, on getting a feel for it, on getting the knack for it, rather than results.

Then, focus on linking these sensations together.

Soon you will start to feel more slack, and you will be able to go further for longer. It is the combination of these sensations that leads to the results you wanted in the first place.