TIM BUNTING

KIWI YAMABUSHI

山伏

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This Yamabushi Brought Me To Tears

A story from yamabushi training

Mt. Ubagatake in autumn
What does it mean to be ‘Spirited Away’?

The Japanese title for Spirited Away is Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi 千と千尋の神隠し.

a giant eel with a cleaner shrimp
It’s eel day. Don’t mow your lawn.

And the Japanese Colonel Sanders’ golden idea

Mt. Haguro's Five Story Pagoda
Japan’s Most Popular Destination You’ve Never Heard Of

The pilgrim's lodge village of Toge on Haguro-san

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi
Why do yamabushi do yamabushi training?

Yamabushi gotta yamabushi.

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

I left my Ikigai on Mt. Haguro

person standing in pathway
One with the Mountains

In your element, in the elements

The Deep Meaning Behind Tea Ceremony’s Most Famous Concept

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

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.

Mt. Chokai
Falling for the Gaijin Trap Trap

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

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

Introducing the mountains in the Shonai Region of Yamagata

Matsuo Basho and The Power of Haiku

How to capture nature in the written word

coffee beans
Japan’s Two Biggest Obsessions

Starbucks is decidedly NOT a Kissaten

The Town of Dual Dragons

And the legends they created.

What The Mountains of Japan Taught Me

Knowledge has nothing on experience

Say Sayonara to Sayonara: Japanese words that are misunderstood

And the best way to learn the real meaning of words

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

Feat. Sakata Rice Crackers!

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

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

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

Here's what I learned.

A Jizo statue at the top of Mt. Kyogakura in Sakata
Uketamo: the philosophy to live by

Uketamo has a long, long history.

Why do Japanese Shrines have lightning-bolt tassels?

Plus the scientific basis behind it all.

Dealing with death: Some practical Yamabushi advice

Death is an everyday thing. So is living.

Tim Bunting Kiwi Yamabushi
(Re) Discovering my origin story

How I came to live in rural Japan

Dragons and how they protect my house in Japan

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

sushi on brown wooden board
The Best Sushi in Japan

And the red man who lead us to it

Uketamo and What The Mountains Teach You

Stop for a moment to be in the moment

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.

The Astounding Waterfalls of Chokai-san

The waterfalls of Chokai-san

white fish under water
How Cup Noodles and Kawaii Culture made Axolotls famous in Japan

At the time, The Unlimited Teddy Bear was watching footage of Minecraft axolotls in English when they realised the English word for Axolotl was, in fact, Axolotl.

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

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

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

Quite a lot, actually.

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

Or 'Marine Day'. If you really want.

coffee beans
Joining a Local Japanese Coffee Brewing Competition

Notice I didn't say 'winning'.

Don’t trust the chrysanthemums.

The forgotten festival and Japanese cultural faux pas #2934

The World’s Best Dojo

It's not where you think

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

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

The real star of Japanese cuisine

How this humble plant made it to the top of my list of Japanese foods

fire and charcoal with black background
Cucumber Horses and Eggplant Cows

The one Japanese custom the world needs

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.

Prescribe Nature

And the ultimate in Japanese mountain warriors

Why do SHOGUN deserve their own shrine?

The warlord to end all warlords

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?

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

How to prove you are smarter than a Japanese person.

On Ramen: The Best Food in Japan

Yamagata in its rightful place

The Uniquely Japanese Superpower

Do this and you can officially call yourself Japanese

Living in a Dying Japanese City

Whether by man or by nature, these buildings are disappearing. And they are disappearing fast.

The Curse of Yamagata’s Mountains

Watch the view. Or maybe don't.

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.

Autumn’s Peak Ritual 2024

Joining a Yamabushi Initiation Ritual

My Japanese Hotel Rookie Mistake

It was the perfect plan. If only I had considered how Japanese hotels operate.

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

The perennial question for us followers of Shugendo

Kumomi: The Next Japanese Sensation

Those clouds aren't going to watch themselves!

Can you believe this is *not* Tokyo?

Well, can you?

My Love Affair with North Japan’s Tallest Peak

Chokai-san: The Sparkling Gem in Tohoku's Eye

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'.

The Badass Fudomyo’o: Your new Favourite Buddhist Deity

You’ll find him near waterfalls all over Japan.

Mountains and Moments

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

Mongols, Kamikaze, and a mountain in northern Japan

The Legend of Haguro-san's Bell Tower

Japan is in the year 2683?

I asked the proprietor when the original temple was built.

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