TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

山伏

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi on Mt. Gassan

キウイ

DAILY YAMABUSHI


Are you doing what you love?

May 11, 2025

Well?

Style comes second

May 10, 2025

Ability comes first

This post is anti-yamabushi

May 9, 2025

So is any writing, really.

Nice to have? Need to have.

May 8, 2025

Convince yourself

It looked better in my head

May 7, 2025

Make it better on the page

Toil away

May 6, 2025

The deadline makes the difference

Give in. Give over. But don’t give up.

May 5, 2025

The best is yet

FEATURE ARTICLES

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

coffee beans
Japan’s Two Biggest Obsessions

Starbucks is decidedly NOT a Kissaten

The World’s Best Dojo

It's not where you think

coffee beans
A Coffee Lover’s Guide to Sakata

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

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi
(Re) Discovering my origin story

How I came to live in rural Japan

The Land of Salmon and Sake: How Sakata (Sake Rice Field) got its name

Feat. Sakata Rice Crackers!

This Yamabushi Brought Me To Tears

A story from yamabushi training

Dealing with death: Some practical Yamabushi advice

Death is an everyday thing. So is living.

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

Or 'Marine Day'. If you really want.

Uketamo and What The Mountains Teach You

Stop for a moment to be in the moment

Why do SHOGUN deserve their own shrine?

The warlord to end all warlords

Chokai-san (Mt. Chokai)
The Dragon Deity and Japan’s Number One Rice

How a Dragon Kami gave us the best rice in Japan.

The Slow Demise of the Japanese City

One Traffic Light at a Time

What do Yamabushi do? What does it mean to be a Yamabushi?

The perennial question for us followers of Shugendo

Dragons and how they protect my house in Japan

One major role for dragons in Japan (besides protecting my house)

What does The Last Samurai have to with Japan’s Silk Industry?

Quite a lot, actually.

MOUNTAINS OF YAMAGATA

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

This mountain is EVERYWHERE in Japan: Ha-yama

Former Dewa Sanzan peak in inland Yamagata Prefecture with an extensive Shugendo and Mountain Worship history.

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.

The Pyramids of… Japan? — Yakushi-san and The OG Japan content creator (Mt. Yakushi)

Small pyramidal peak in the northern Yamagata town of Kaneyama

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

Bananas and Cokes, Leaches and Pit Vipers

How a group of elderly Japanese men saved our arses

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).

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

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

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

Mountain that marks the entrance to the Kamuro Alps

How NOT to climb a mountain in winter

Forget Hakuba. Forget Hokkaido. White-Boy Mountain is where it’s at. 

Yura in Tsuruoka city seen from Mt. Arakura
The Sakura of Arakura-yama

Mountains of Sakura Cherry Blossoms and the serene Arakura Jinja await.

Mother. Hunter. Mountain. Hokari-yama (Mt. Hokari)

Kinbo Shugen Mountain with a strange name and amazing trails amongst the autumn leaves

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

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

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

Sanze village near Mt. Fujikura surrounded by green mountains and the blue Sea of Japan can be seen through the trees in the distance through the trees of Mt. Fujikura
Sanze’s Little Helper: Fantastic Fujikura-yama (Mt. Fujikura)

Fun little peak in the tiny fishing village of Sanze, Tsuruoka City

Yamabushi

Here are some blog posts about yamabushi.

close up photo of lion s head
YAMABUSHI

Random Posts

trees in park
person writing on notebook
woman sitting while using laptop

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