TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

山伏

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi on Mt. Gassan

キウイ

DAILY YAMABUSHI


Not impossible.

November 4, 2025

Possible.

Don’t just do something

November 3, 2025

Do something extraordinary

Prioritize permission to do the small things

November 2, 2025

Significant or otherwise

Waiting for the inspiration to strike?

November 1, 2025

You may be waiting a while.

The Lead Domino

October 31, 2025

Where to start? The perennial question.

Going through the motions

October 30, 2025

Any which way you can

Stick to it

October 29, 2025

What’s realistic for you?

FEATURE ARTICLES

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

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

Introducing the mountains in the Shonai Region of Yamagata

Japan is in the year 2683?

I asked the proprietor when the original temple was built.

A Coffee Lover’s Guide to Sakata

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

Dragons and how they protect my house in Japan

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

Why do SHOGUN deserve their own shrine?

The warlord to end all warlords

Uketamo and What The Mountains Teach You

Stop for a moment to be in the moment

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

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

The World’s Best Dojo

It's not where you think

Autumn’s Peak Ritual 2024

Joining a Yamabushi Initiation Ritual

The Town of Dual Dragons

And the legends they created.

The mystical mountain men of Japan

Featuring The Legend of how Japan's most famous mountain man couldn't quite handle it

I spent a week in the Japanese mountains training as an ascetic.

Here's what I learned.

The Uniquely Japanese Superpower

Do this and you can officially call yourself Japanese

Joining a Local Japanese Coffee Brewing Competition

Notice I didn't say 'winning'.

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

How to prove you are smarter than a Japanese person.

MOUNTAINS OF YAMAGATA

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

Sign on the Nakanomata Trail up Mt. Nihonkoku
This is How I Conquered Japan!

How to conquer Japan in 60 short minutes

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

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

Close Encounters of the Tengu Kind

(Murayama) Tengu-yama is a 403-m high peak in Nishikawa town that is home to a Tengu, a yokai or supernatural being.

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.

Bananas and Cokes, Leaches and Pit Vipers

How a group of elderly Japanese men saved our arses

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

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

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

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

Small pyramidal peak in the northern Yamagata town of Kaneyama

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

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.

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. 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

How NOT to climb a mountain in winter

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

Yamabushi

Here are some blog posts about yamabushi.

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi
Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi at Yamadera in Yamagata Prefecture
YAMABUSHI

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