Customer Reviews

Reiki's Birthplace, A Guide to Kurama Mountain

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Heartful, beautifully designed, illustrated & bound, this is the result of
thorough research and personal experience gained on 100+ pilgrimages to Mount Kurama, just north of Kyoto City. Kurama is in many ways like hundreds or thousands of others in Japan- studded with little shrines and temples, a popular outing for city dwellers and the site of a festival of regional fame. From this modest introduction, the author proceeds to show the reader how and why this place captures her and why it holds an important place the hearts of Japanese and visitors, whether they are interested in its many spiritual traditions (Reiki being only one), or simply wanting a getaway from the urban buzz.

This no-nonsense spiritual guidebook has the quality of a Miyazaki Hayao anime like Princess Mononoke- historical and spiritual facts interwoven create an overall picture of reality that is much closer to people's actual experience than any purely mythical or historical account could ever be. I love the timeline that presents the arrival of Commander Perry (from the US) and the arrival of Tengu (from Planet Venus) with equal gravity (not a technique recommended for highschool textbooks, but highly appropriate for a book that traces a spiritual history).

While written by an outsider to Japanese society, it succeeds at representing many of the myths and stories in the same way and quality that Japanese people know and think of them. At the same time, it has solid advice to help the non-Japanese speaking visitor navigate food, toilets and trains (no doubt many insights gained in painful trial and error) as well as the finer points of energy dialogue with trees and rocks, explained in the same down-to-earth language.

This is a book any visitor of Kyoto or fan of Japanese culture should have, whether they are interested in Reiki or not. For the person interested in healing, it is an excellent introduction to the author's unique approach,
refeshingly free of new age-y fluff. Perhaps the most comprehensive book on any spiritual place in Japan writen for a popular audience.

(This review was submitted to the author's website: ReikiMastery.com
by a friend in Japan who asked me to post it here.
The website has a free e-newsletter, Reiki class schedule, articles and more on Kurama & Reiki)

Wonderful book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Reiki. Kudos to Jessica Miller for a well constructed and thorough book.

I purchased this book for my first trip to Japan. I was going to visit my stepdaughter who was working there for 3 weeks. She was in Nagoya and not far from Kyoto and Mt. Kurama the birthplace of Reiki. In a land were one can read a few signs it's a treasure trove of knowledge. Especially the one that warns of poisonious snakes on the rock pile! Very helpful to know. On my second trip to Kyoto in Nov./Dec. 09 I packed it along again. This time with it in tow I took a walk on the "wild" side of the mountain, unfortunately I dropped it in a mud puddle but quickly wiped it off. It's a little warn but when I go back for a third time it Will Be the First thing packed in my luggage. Thank you Jessica for all your hard work in putting together this priceless guide to Mt. Kurama & Kyoto.

I ordered this as a gift for a Reiki practioner who visited Japan a few years ago. It's a beautifully produced edition with many photos and a great deal of information.

Highly recommended for anyone planning a trip or as a memoir of a visit to Kurama Mountain.

I am thoroughly enjoying your book! At first I thought it would be fast reading. Not so! I am getting lost into it's spell. As I read (with the help of the fine photographs) I am transported to the mountain. I love it!

I am a lay Buddhist (Soto Zen) and a Reiki practioner versed in both Usui Reiki and Reiki Tummo. I certainly appreciate the content of this well written book.

I am very grateful for such a guidebook to Kurama mountain. The entire book is richly illustrated with photographs, and it is brimming with great cultural and historical information to enrich any Reiki practice. Although what we can piece together about Usui-sensei is largely speculative, it is easy to get a feel for the inception and formalization of Usui Reiki Ryoho from an adventure on Kurama.

As a travel guide, the book is very specific in blazing the path, and it contains many tips for both the lay traveler and the Reiki practitioner. Dotted throughout are "ki notes" that indicate changes in energy, sacred spaces, and places for connecting with Spirit.

The book also contains info on the neighbouring towns of Kibune and Kurama, travel information about Japan in general, and contains reference sections on the energy, deities, and history of Kurama.

This is a wonderful way to deepen your Reiki practice, and it serves to prepare me for my upcoming trip to Japan.

I've been fortunate enough to have Jessica Miller as a Reiki teacher for the last couple of years and I'm delighted that she has written this amazing book for the masses. Not only is it wonderful introduction to Reiki, it's also a wonderful historical document about Kurama Mountain. Not only do you learn about the history of Kurama Mountain and the energy points on the mountain, you learn about the temples, the Deities, as well as basic travel information such as train schedules, food, amenities and other important practical information for the first time traveler to Kurama Mountain.

Although I've not yet been to Kurama Mountain, this book makes me feel like I have an insight into the Mountain and its history.

If you do get the chance, I highly recommend visiting Kurama Mountain with Jessica during her annual visit. More info at ReikiMastery.com.

Buy this book, you won't be disappointed.