To become a certified Yamabushi, one must complete the week-long Akinomine Autumn Peak Ritual. The exact nature of the ritual is secret, but it is known to include activities like meditation under a waterfall, nightwalking and visiting places where the gods reside on the mountains and praying to them. After that, how long and how often they walk in the mountains is up to each individual. "Most Dewa Sanzan Yamabushi would at least repeat the Akinomine Autumn Peak Ritual every year. Some do their own training by themselves," Bunting said.