On March 30, 2024, a bamboo shoot digging experience event was held at the tourist bamboo forest in Inouchi, Nagaokakyo City, Kyoto Prefecture. 20 parents and children participated and took on the challenge of harvesting seasonal delicacies.
The Nagaokakyo City Tourism Association holds this event every year to get people familiar with local products.
After learning how to cultivate and dig bamboo shoots in the Otokuni area, the participants dug into the soil using piles set in cracks in the ground as landmarks.Finally, they used a special agricultural tool called ''Hori'' to separate the bamboo shoots from their underground rhizomes. They were able to harvest small bamboo shoots one after another, and everyone cheered.
A 70-year-old man visiting from Hiroshima said, ''I was surprised at how white the bamboo shoots were and how high the quality was.'' His grandson, an 8-year-old second-grade student at Nagaoka Daiku Elementary School, said, ''When you use the hori, the bamboo shoots turn out great.'' It was fun to see him pop out like Mario," he said with a smile. A 12-year-old sixth-grade student at Nagaoka Daiichi Elementary School said happily, ''It was hard work, but it was fun. Harvesting at Hori felt great.''
Director-General Yoshihiro Inoue said, ''I was worried that growth would be slow, but thanks to the warm weather over the past few days, a lot of them have come out.It looks like we can expect a bumper crop this year.''
