TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

山伏

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi on Mt. Gassan

キウイ

DAILY YAMABUSHI


If you’re never wrong, you never grow

February 26, 2026

Make the effort to learn and change

Set the Ball in Motion

February 25, 2026

Put yourself on the hook

Slowly. Surely.

February 24, 2026

At your own pace. Deliberately.

The Dead Ends add up

February 23, 2026

Make it count

If Only They Knew

February 22, 2026

If only you knew

Do They Need Your Excuse?

February 21, 2026

Is it absolutely vital?

Out the Door

February 20, 2026

Better than on the floor

FEATURE ARTICLES

Here are a few samples of what you find in The Kiwi Yamabushi Newsletter.

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi
Why do yamabushi do yamabushi training?

Yamabushi gotta yamabushi.

Mt. Chokai above the sea of Japan
Emperor on a Boat Day

Or 'Marine Day'. If you really want.

photo of peeled banana on yellow plate and background
The MONSTROSITY that is Tokyo Banana

‘It’s a piece of crap, but I hope you like it’ - Japan.

Biscuit Day: Why Do Japanese Cars (and Appliances) Talk So Much?

Why February 28 Is Biscuit Day (And What Your Japanese Car Has to Say About It)

The Badass Fudomyo’o: Your new Favourite Buddhist Deity

You’ll find him near waterfalls all over Japan.

Kumomi: The Next Japanese Sensation

Those clouds aren't going to watch themselves!

Don’t trust the chrysanthemums.

The forgotten festival and Japanese cultural faux pas #2934

It’s eel day. Don’t mow your lawn.

And the Japanese Colonel Sanders’ golden idea

Mt. Haguro's Five Story Pagoda
Japan’s Most Popular Destination You’ve Never Heard Of

The pilgrim's lodge village of Toge on Haguro-san

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi
The Futodasuki Yamabushi Sash

Why do Shinto yamabushi wear the strange vermillion sash? What special meanings does the Futodasuki hold? What does the mirror represent?

Chokai-san (Mt. Chokai)
Hiking Guide: Mountains of The Shonai Region of Yamagata

Introducing the mountains in the Shonai Region of Yamagata

Uketamo and What The Mountains Teach You

Stop for a moment to be in the moment

The Deep Meaning Behind Tea Ceremony’s Most Famous Concept

Ichigo Ichie - One moment, one meeting. One chance in a lifetime.

Yukidaruma: The Japanese Art of Always Building Snowmen With Two Balls Instead of Three Because Why Waste Your Time and Energy?

You had me at 'Japanese art'.

Japan’s Two Biggest Obsessions

Starbucks is decidedly NOT a Kissaten

MOUNTAINS OF YAMAGATA

Here are a few posts of my adventures climbing the 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata.

The sun sets over the ninth station of Mt. Gassan
Gassan, the Dewa Sanzan’s “Mountain of Death” (Mt. Gassan)

The tallest Dewa Sanzan peak with a thriving Haguro Shugendo Yamabushi culture.

Yamagata’s Secluded Secret: Takatori-yama (Mt. Takatori)

Small peak on the edge of Nakayama Town famous for its Kannon Temple and the views it commands.

The Autumn Leaves of Mount Taizo
The Epitome of Autumn Leaves in North Japan: Taizo-san (Mt. Taizo)

Mount Taizo all but single-handedly confirms why autumn is by far the best season for hiking in Japan.

Venerable Old Man Mountain — The Mist and Mystery of Okina-san (Mt. Okina)

 Legends and landscapes on an epic hike along the Ou Mountains

Panoramas and picnics under the Sakura: Kita-yama (Mt. Kitayama)

Former ski field turned into a Sakura-lover’s paradise on the outskirts of Murayama City

Mt. Shogadake
Dancing in the Day Lilies: Shoga-dake

Shoga-dake is a former Shugendo peak on Chokai-san famous for its floral brilliance.

Exploring The Yamabushi Trails of Kinbo-zan (Mt. Kinbo)

Kinbo-zan is a dynamic little peak with a deep history of Shugendo.

Mt. Maya seen from the distance
Mythical Beasts, Buddha’s Mother, and buried Yamabushi treasure? Welcome to Maya-san (Mt. Maya).

More than one of the best hikes in Shonai

Mt. Atsumi in Atsumi Onsen, a quaint Onsen Hot Spring town in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture
Reaching Peak Tranquility: Atsumi-dake (Mt. Atsumi)

The hidden Onsen (Hot Spring) town of Atsumi's own hidden gem

Kurosawa Akira, Abe Shinzo, The Kami of War, and a flock of geese?

Mountain that marks the entrance to the Kamuro Alps

The Swamp Monster of Yozo

Ancient trail of primeval beech forests, legendary swamp monsters, waterfalls, snow bridges, and more.

Tokami-yama and The Castle of Mist

And its role in north Japan's fiercest war

A Ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn) at Semi Onsen Hot Spring Resort
Turtles, Tigers, and a Legendary Japanese Character: Kamewari-yama (Mt. Kamewari)

Legendary location next to a quaint Onsen (hot spring) resort along the Oguni River in Mogami Town

Mt. Yamuki (Yamuki-yama) in Shinjo City
The Medieval Castle and Mighty River of Yamuki-yama (Mt. Yamuki)

Tiny peak that was home to a medieval castle along the banks of the mighty Mogami River.

Mt. Ubagatake in autumn
The Widow’s Peak: Ubaga-take (Mt. Ubagatake) of North Japan

Must-see autumn alpine dreamland between the two tallest Dewa Sanzan peaks with a twisted backstory

Yamabushi

Here are some blog posts about yamabushi.

Mt. Chokai behind a shrine in Sakata City, Japan
YAMABUSHI

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