Fresh young bamboo is an eagerly-awaited spring delicacy here in Japan, and it really does taste completely different from canned bamboo shoots. Even more fun than eating it is harvesting it! It takes a lot of work, but our little boys were up to the task when we went to visit our friends in the countryside. The mountain behind their home is chock full of bamboo trees, and little roots are visible here and there in the ground
proud of their bounty!
and afterwards, a relaxing footbath in a hot-water spring.
