TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

山伏

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi on Mt. Gassan

キウイ

DAILY YAMABUSHI


What works for you

June 18, 2025

Is what you should do

How to evolve as a human

June 17, 2025

Read books. Just read.

The Well Part

June 16, 2025

A result of consistency

Chill

June 15, 2025

Just chill

Past, Present, Future

June 14, 2025

Which is most important?

Find your sound

June 13, 2025

Your unique sound

More Baby Steps

June 12, 2025

Take the right steps

FEATURE ARTICLES

Here are a few samples of what you find in my newsletter, Mountains of Wisdom.

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'.

Chokai-zan
Japan’s Rothschilds and The Port City of Sakata

Why do I live in Yamagata? Why don’t I live in Tokyo or Osaka with the rest of them?

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi
Why do yamabushi do yamabushi training?

Yamabushi gotta yamabushi.

sushi on brown wooden board
The Best Sushi in Japan

And the red man who lead us to it

Matsuo Basho and The Power of Haiku

How to capture nature in the written word

What The Mountains of Japan Taught Me

Knowledge has nothing on experience

coffee beans
A Coffee Lover’s Guide to Sakata

The Best Coffee Spots in Sakata, and what I really think of them

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

Introducing the mountains in the Shonai Region of Yamagata

coffee beans
Joining a Local Japanese Coffee Brewing Competition

Notice I didn't say 'winning'.

The Uniquely Japanese Superpower

Do this and you can officially call yourself Japanese

women in red and white kimono standing in front of the temple
How this little-known Japanese craft changed my life forever

This might be the most important thing I write this year.

black camera recorder
‘Foreigner in a Suit’ and The Beginner’s Mind

'Foreigner in a suit' and The Beginner's Mind

The World’s Best Dojo

It's not where you think

The Astounding Waterfalls of Chokai-san

The waterfalls of Chokai-san

Can you believe this is *not* Tokyo?

Well, can you?

MOUNTAINS OF YAMAGATA

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

The Heavenly Hideaway of Daizumori-yama

The best effort / reward ratio in Yamagata. Bar none.

Bananas and Cokes, Leaches and Pit Vipers

How a group of elderly Japanese men saved our arses

Mt.-Takadate-and-Shimoike-lake-in-Tsuruoka
Wetland Wonderland of Takadate-yama

Takadate-yama is short in stature, but packs a lot of punch as home to one of the only RAMSAR wetlands in Japan

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.

Mt. Chokai seen from Mt. Yonetaihei in the winter
Homer Simpson’s Heaven in North Japan: The Donut-shaped Yonetaihei-san (Mt. Yonetaihei)

Tiny donut-shaped peak in Sakegawa Village of the Mogami region worthy of a snowshoe hike.

Mt. Haguro's Five Story Pagoda
Why This Tiny Mountain MUST be on Your Japan Itinerary: Haguro-san

Home to Haguro Shugendo and the Dewa Sanzan Yamabushi mountain monks

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Mountain that marks the entrance to the Kamuro Alps

Mt. Chokai
The best Fuji alternative: Chokai-san

Dewa Fuji, The Fuji of The North, Chokai-san, Mt. Chokai: Tallest peak entirely in Tohoku often said to resemble Mt. Fuji, leading to the name Dewa Fuji (after the former province of Dewa).

THIS. IS. YAMAGARTA: Japan’s 300 Moment. 

How this tiny peak turned feudal Japan’s biggest battle on its head

Mt. Yudono Shrine Gates during the autumn
The Dewa Sanzan’s Mountain of Rebirth: Yudono-san (Mt. Yudono)

Yudono-san is the final Dewa Sanzan peak in the middle of Yamagata Prefecture that has been a central destination for millions over the centuries

Tokami-yama and The Castle of Mist

And its role in north Japan's fiercest war

Yamabushi

Here are some blog posts about yamabushi.

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi
YAMABUSHI

Random Posts

person walking between green forest trees
a person sitting on wooden planks across the lake scenery
Tim Bunting AKA Kiwi Yamabushi on Zao-san

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