TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

山伏

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi on Mt. Gassan

キウイ

DAILY YAMABUSHI


Tactics up your sleeve

January 22, 2025

And the newcomer perspective

The real failure

January 21, 2025

Never trying

If you were to win it

January 20, 2025

This is how to do it

Getting back up to speed

January 19, 2025

It’s easier to just not stop

The difference is in the doing

January 18, 2025

Do the difference

The best we got gets better

January 17, 2025

The best we got gets us better

Figure it out for yourself

January 16, 2025

The only way to know for sure

FEATURE ARTICLES

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

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

I left my Ikigai on Mt. Haguro

fire and charcoal with black background
Cucumber Horses and Eggplant Cows

The one Japanese custom the world needs

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.

Why is this Buddha EVERYWHERE in Japan?

Spend even a tiny amount of time in Japan, and you may notice a strange yet comforting presence.

Matsuo Basho and The Power of Haiku

How to capture nature in the written word

Say Sayonara to Sayonara: Japanese words that are misunderstood

And the best way to learn the real meaning of words

Dealing with death: Some practical Yamabushi advice

Death is an everyday thing. So is living.

The Badass Fudomyo’o: Your new Favourite Buddhist Deity

You’ll find him near waterfalls all over Japan.

Mt. Chokai above the sea of Japan
The Creepy Legend of the Yokai of Chokai-san (Mt. Chokai)

The creepy legend of how Chokai-san (Mt. Chokai) got its distinct shape, and how Yamagata Prefecture's only inhabited island was formed.

Mountains and Moments

Focus on the step in front of you, not the mountain in the distance.

The Deep Meaning Behind Tea Ceremony’s Most Famous Concept

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

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi
(Re) Discovering my origin story

How I came to live in rural Japan

Mt. Chokai
Falling for the Gaijin Trap Trap

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

Autumn’s Peak Ritual 2024

Joining a Yamabushi Initiation Ritual

Why are greengrocers called the ‘800 store’ in Japan?

Ask the wives of court nobles of the 14th century...

MOUNTAINS OF YAMAGATA

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

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.

The Heavenly Hideaway of Daizumori-yama

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

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.

Bananas and Cokes, Leaches and Pit Vipers

How a group of elderly Japanese men saved our arses

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

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

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

Mountain that marks the entrance to the Kamuro Alps

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. Shogadake
Dancing in the Day Lilies: Shoga-dake

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

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. 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. 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

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

 Legends and landscapes on an epic hike along the Ou Mountains

Tokami-yama and The Castle of Mist

And its role in north Japan's fiercest war

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.

Yamabushi

Here are some blog posts about yamabushi.

Mt. Chokai seen from Mt. Yonetaihei in the winter
Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi
Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi
YAMABUSHI

Random Posts

light workplace with laptop in office
Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi on Mt. Chokai
Tim Bunting AKA Kiwi Yamabushi on Zao-san

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