山伏

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi on Mt. Gassan

キウイ

DAILY YAMABUSHI


February 14, 2025

Get the practicalities out of the way

February 13, 2025

Don’t forget to use it!

February 12, 2025

Zig when you feel you should zig. Zag when you feel you should zag.

February 11, 2025

You will. Won’t you.

February 10, 2025

And iterate. And iterate.

February 9, 2025

One goal at a time

February 8, 2025

Unless your goal is to be in the now

FEATURE ARTICLES

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

Mongols, Kamikaze, and a mountain in northern Japan

The Legend of Haguro-san's Bell Tower

The World’s Best Dojo

It's not where you think

Hand holding chopsticks drawing, vintage
Why we eat what we eat at Obon

How to prove you are smarter than a Japanese person.

person holding world globe facing mountain
Searching for your Ikigai? Read this first.

I left my Ikigai on Mt. Haguro

The Deep Meaning Behind Tea Ceremony’s Most Famous Concept

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

Atomic Habits highlights something the Japanese have known for millennia

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

sushi on brown wooden board
The Best Sushi in Japan

And the red man who lead us to it

Mt. Chokai
Falling for the Gaijin Trap Trap

That is not a typo. Everyone has to fall in sometime...

The Uniquely Japanese Superpower

Do this and you can officially call yourself Japanese

Dragons and how they protect my house in Japan

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

Kumomi: The Next Japanese Sensation

Those clouds aren't going to watch themselves!

Japan is in the year 2683?

I asked the proprietor when the original temple was built.

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'.

Autumn’s Peak Ritual 2024

Joining a Yamabushi Initiation Ritual

The Astounding Waterfalls of Chokai-san

The waterfalls of Chokai-san

MOUNTAINS OF YAMAGATA

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

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

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

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

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

Small pyramidal peak in the northern Yamagata town of Kaneyama

I found an abandoned ski field in Japan

Short and quick hike with views of Chokai-zan and near the Mogami River, Shiraito Falls, and Genso no mori, the Forest of Illusions.

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

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 Swamp Monster of Yozo

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

Zao-san and Why We Climb Mountains (Mt. Zao)

Zao-san: Snow monsters, ski fields, mountain hags, multi-coloured crater lakes, hot springs, and more.

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

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

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.-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

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

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

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.

Hiking Japan’s Forgotten Highway: Sabane-yama and Ushu-Kaido (Mt. Sabane)

The odd connection between Osaka castle, the Shinkansen and Shinjuku, and the mountains of Yamagata.

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