When you visit a new place, or do a new thing, how much should you know about it in advance? Yamabushi would tell you to go in with absolute zero knowledge, to help you focus on the experience itself. Well, at least that’s the case for Yamabushi training, and it’s something I stand by.

But depending on what you’re doing, a bit of background knowledge can completely change your experience. This is especially so in Japan, where knowledge of places in English can be hard to come by at times. Without context, some places, especially temples or shrines, can appear quite boring in Japan.

So I guess, in the Yamabushi style, you can make your own interpretation of the story, without another person’s interpretation interrupting yours. But on the other hand, no context can bore you to pieces. Which is better?