Meetup in Tokyo on November 5
First up, if you ever wanted a slice of Aotearoa in Japan, I’ll be at this meetup in Tokyo on November 5th1. That’s right, I’ll be coming out of my yamabushi-hole deep in the mountains of Middle Yamagata and venturing to the big city, something I haven’t done since COVID actually2.
And it’s not just me you’ll be meeting but a whole lot of other Japan writers, some I’ve been following for quite a while like Mark Kennedy, Baye McNeil, Jack Krown, Bill Adler, and someone I have been following for more than 10 years (not sure if you knew, but it’s true!) Tim Romero.
A Slice of Japan in Aotearoa New Zealand
I got back from Aotearoa earlier this week and while I was there, I found a lot of Japan related stuff:
Japanese Coffee.
Or, rather, coffee made by a Japanese person. Oh, and Matcha too I guess.
It wouldn’t be a Kiwi Yamabushi post without some reference to coffee, or Japan, or coffee by a Japanese person, in Wellington! Ok, that last part is a step too far, but the newly opened Awaji Coffee run by Aoi Kobayashi, a Gifu native, is the perfect spot to get your slice of Japan in downtown Wellington.
I kind of only spoke in Japanese to Aoi (and her staff) too, despite their English being more than good enough. Aoi obliged, and because of that, I got to feel like I was in Japan for a short moment, which hardly ever happens in Aotearoa.
Unless, of course, you are under the:
Sakura.
Honestly, we were a bit too early for it, but there was a Sakura festival at Aston Norwood, just north of us in Kaitoke earlier in the month.
My only problem with this festival is that, New Zealand doesn’t grow rice, but Sakura is directly related to the rice harvest. So the original meaning of why even celebrate being under the cherry blossoms in the first place is so special is completely lost on people.
Although, I don’t think even Japanese people realise the reason behind it… If you see a Japanese person in the wild, ask them if they know that the kura in iwakura is the same as in Sakura.
And finally,
The Last Samurai.
Or rather, the location it was filmed in.
Taranaki!
Daily Yamabushi Posts for September 11 to 24, 2026
Here are my Daily Yamabushi posts for the past week. Get more Daily Yamabushi posts at timbunting.com/daily-yamabushi. Discover more Japan essays and daily insights in the Kiwi Yamabushi Substack Archive, or follow my writing over on Medium.com.
Rather than clicking on these individually, you can just read all at once here.
September 18 to 24, 2026
September 11 to 17, 2026
Guy Fawkes’ night, who’s bringing the fireworks?
Children will do that to you.
The November 5th meet-up in Tokyo is going to be epic! Thanks in advance for joining--especially considering how far you're going to have to travel just to get there!
Okay. You just threw down the gauntlet, and at the top of your post. How dare you suggest a conch and then casually suggest you will NOT bring this to our November meetup. Bah!
Real pour-over Japanese coffee while abroad. Yes. I also believe that Japanese language conversation with the 店員/オーナーさん helps with the flavor. Lord knows the bazillion times Japanese (usually older men) have mercilessly swooped on me to speak English when they see my face, so why not do the swoop on nihonjin while abroad? As you say, it does bring a fleeting sense that you have returned even when you are still stuck abroad waiting for the return flight.
Uh now. Tim, can we speak? You have not ventured “up” to the big city SINCE COVID? What was that, like 14 years ago?