Kumomi: The Next Japanese Sensation

Those clouds aren't going to watch themselves!

Kia ora Koutou, Tim Bunting, Kiwi Yamabushi here on the Japan you never knew you wanted to know.

---

Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud and home to some of the best places for Kumomi in the world.

I propose a new Ikigai. A new Shinrinyoku. A new Wabisabi. A new practice based on Japanese culture.

I call it Kumomi.

Cloud-watching.

Sure, watching the clouds is a common pastime in other parts of the world.

But so is taking a walk in the forest.

Blue, black, and white skies all in one. In Kumomi, we call this the trifecta!

Why should taking a walk in the forest get all the attention? What about those fluffy things in the sky? Anyone who has spent more than a few minutes staring up would know, clouds are awesome!

Sometimes they are black and scary.

Sometimes they flash!

Sometimes they are white and dainty, like a giant sheep you just want to cuddle.

Sometimes they hide, leaving you longing for more.

The Shonai Region here in Yamagata gets amazing Jacob’s ladders in Autumn, the best time for Kumomi!

Other times they look like dragons, and in case you missed the memo, dragons are cool!

Plus, like forests, and as the Japanese always remind us, clouds change by the season.

Autumn clouds are the best clouds.

Early-autumn clouds in Sakata with a ‘country elevator’ (the Japanese word for rice silo) centre-left in front of Gassan. That’s Yunosawa-dake to the right.

Autumn clouds are my favourite clouds. In autumn, you get very fine days of pure blue with long stretches of white. Then you get cloudy and rainy days with the added bonus of holes creating Jacob’s ladders that put the spotlight on random things in the distance: a certain section of a forest, a mountaintop, a building like the ‘country elevators’ (see above photo caption) here in Japan.

And sometimes, if you’re really lucky, the torii gates of Yudono-san:

I actually took this photo during a yamabushi training. Please don’t tell anyone. I wasn’t supposed to have my camera on me, but true Kumomi enthusiasts know you always need your camera on you.

It all makes for such drama on a literal worldly scale. It is also such a simple form of entertainment, like people watching.

Or walking in the forest.

Kumomi.

Cloud-watching.

Try it when you’re next outside. See how it changes you as a human, and let me know how you go while you’re at it!

---

Experience the Kumomi

Watch this video of a plane landing in Narita Airport to experience Kumomi for yourself.

---

This self-returning wheelchair at Haneda Airport

Talking about clouds, how’s this for a self-returning wheelchair at Haneda Airport? I’ve also been served by robots at Coco’s Family Restaurant. How long until we get robot yamabushi Sendatsu Masters? Climbing Gassan isn’t that easy you know.

---

Daily Yamabushi for This Week

Classic late-autumn / early winter sky over what is actually Tokyo.

Daily Yamabushi posts for the week of December 2 to December 7, 2023.

Read Daily Yamabushi for free at timbunting.com/blog or Medium.com.

1. The Slow Burn

2. Theories Versus Action

3. And Then Some

4. Your Own Worst Enemy

5. What We’re Looking For

6. All You Need to Do

7. Here’s Your Permission

(By the way, subscribers to Yamabushido’s Lessons From Mountains, check your inbox. There is a special online event on Monday.)

---

Mountains of Wisdom: Tell Your Friends!

Japanese Christmas trees are next level!

Thanks for your support, and thanks to the support of paid subscribers who make this possible. If you have the means, consider becoming a paid member to receive member-only posts and special insights into the world of the yamabushi.

And, as always, get more content on the Japan you never knew you wanted to know on my blog, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Threads, or Medium.com.

Ka kite ano.

Tim.

P.S. Next Sunday I will be on TV. Details here.