The Individuals Who Quietly Reshape How We See the World

Yamabushi

Some of the most memorable experiences in travel are not found in guidebooks or scheduled attractions. They happen unexpectedly, through encounters with people whose lives are deeply connected to the traditions, landscapes and beliefs of their homeland.

Across Asia, remarkable men and women continue to preserve ancient knowledge, spiritual traditions, craftsmanship and ways of living that have been passed from generation to generation. They are not performing their culture for visitors. They simply live it, often with a quiet authenticity that can offer travellers a deeper understanding of a destination.

The People Behind the Places

A fisherman preparing his nets before sunrise, an elder quietly tending a sacred temple, a tea harvester selecting morning leaves or a spiritual practitioner following an ancient ritual can reveal a side of Asia that cannot be experienced through conventional sightseeing.

Secret Retreats invites travellers to discover these individuals through a series exploring The Ones Who Believe, The Ones Who Know and The Ones Who Make.

The journey begins with The Ones Who Believe, meeting people whose lives are shaped by faith, nature, ritual and an enduring connection to the places they call home.

Among the most extraordinary examples are the Yamabushi of Dewa Sanzan in northern Japan.

The Yamabushi of Dewa Sanzan, Japan

Deep in Yamagata Prefecture, ancient cedar forests surround the three sacred mountains of Dewa Sanzan: Mount Haguro, Mount Gassan and Mount Yudono.

For more than a thousand years, mountain ascetics known as Yamabushi have followed Shugendo, a spiritual tradition incorporating elements of mountain worship, Shinto and esoteric Buddhism.

For the Yamabushi, these mountains are far more than a dramatic natural landscape. They are sacred places where spiritual transformation takes place.

The three mountains traditionally represent the present, past and future, creating a pilgrimage that is both physical and deeply symbolic.

The Path of Rebirth

The Yamabushi undertake demanding mountain practices involving pilgrimage, meditation, prayer, purification and other ascetic disciplines. Waterfalls, forests, rocks and mountain trails become part of a spiritual journey in which the natural world is experienced as a living temple.

At the heart of the Yamabushi philosophy is Uketamo, a phrase commonly understood as “I humbly accept”.

This simple expression carries a profound message. Rather than constantly fighting against circumstances, the Yamabushi embrace acceptance, humility and perseverance.

Through their demanding practices, worldly attachments are symbolically left behind. The journey through the sacred mountains becomes a process of spiritual death and rebirth, with the pilgrim emerging renewed.

Learning From the Sacred Peaks

Yamabushi reset training

For today's traveller, discovering the Yamabushi tradition offers an opportunity to look beyond Japan's famous cities, temples and cultural attractions.

The quiet forests of Dewa Sanzan encourage a slower form of travel, where reflection and connection become as important as sightseeing. The experience can prompt visitors to consider resilience, simplicity and our relationship with nature.

The Yamabushi remind us that some of the most powerful travel experiences come not from seeing more, but from understanding more deeply.

Their philosophy offers a timeless lesson: resilience may not always mean resisting life's storms. Sometimes it means accepting them, enduring them and continuing forward with grace.

Secret Retreats

Website: https://secret-retreats.com/
Email: reservations@secret-retreats.com
Phone: +66 2 821 8878
Address: Bangkok, Thailand.

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