General Information

Bamboos are evergreen perennial plants. 

Bamboos grow very rapidly and mature in a few months. At their peak, they can grow more than one meter in a single day. Bamboos have many nodes, and each node has a growth point. All the growth points grow several centimeters each day. That is why bamboos grow very rapidly.

Bamboo groves are very beautiful. The path in Arashiyama is very popular. The path is surrounded by tens of thousands of tall bamboo plants. You may feel as if you are going through a dim greenish tunnel. You see bamboo leaves shaking gently in the breeze with a bit of sunlight shining through them.

Bamboo shoots are a very important ingredient in Japanese dishes. They are one of the spring vegetables loved by Japanese people. The shoots are cooked in simmered dishes, fried dishes, and vegetable steamed rice dishes. They are available fresh, boiled, and canned. Fukuoka, Kagoshima, and Kumamoto are the top three bamboo-producing prefectures. The four top-brand bamboo shoot regions are Kyoto, Chiba, Ouma in Fukuoka, and Mishima Island in Kagoshima.

Bamboos are processed for multi-purposes.

Tube shapes are used for musical instruments, gutters, shishiodoshi, and vessels.

Shishiodoshi

They are fragile and flexible enough to make these rather easily: strainers, baskets, vases, chopsticks, ear picks, cooking skewers, frames of fans and umbrellas, and other items. Katsuyama in Okayama, Suruga in Shizuoka, and Beppu in Oita are famous places for bamboo crafts.

Beppu Bamboo Craft

In old Japanese houses, bamboo was used as a construction material because of its good water absorption properties, which are suitable for the humid and hot weather in Japan.

*Trivia: Edison invented light bulbs using a bamboo filament.

Customs

-In groundbreaking ceremonies, four young bamboo plants are placed upright at each corner.

-During the Star Festival, a bamboo plant is used as a tree for ornaments.

-It is one of the three auspicious plants, “Sho-Chiku-Bai.”

-They bloom every 57 to 120 years. After blooming, they wither. Bamboo blossoms are often thought to be an omen of bad luck.

A tiger with bamboo is often a popular theme in Japanese paintings. The combination of bamboo and sparrows is also often used.

Good bamboo grove viewing places in Kyushu