Takenoko: All about Japanese Bamboo Shoots

You’re planning your dream trip to Japan when you see them — dozens of photos featuring one thing: lush bamboo groves towering high above the crowds. Dreamy and majestic, bamboo has mesmerized crowds of tourists for decades.

From travel guides to vlogs and photo ops to selfies, bamboo is a hot ticket item. Meanwhile, it’s almost mundane to the locals. Furniture like chairs and tables and cutlery like chopsticks are made from this vegetation, but did you know that bamboo even features in Japanese cuisine?

That’s right, bamboo isn’t just a beloved symbol of nature in Japan, it’s also used as a delicious addition to a wide variety of dishes! Beloved for its health benefits and abundance, it's hard not to find bamboo in a meal when eating traditional Japanese cuisine. Bamboo in its edible form is called takenoko (bamboo shoot).

In this article, we’ll introduce a bit of the culture behind bamboo and a few of the most popular takenoko recipes in Japan.

The Japanese word takenoko refers to bamboo shoots, but the literal English translation is much cuter! The literal translation breaks down like this: “take” means bamboo, “no” shows possession of the following noun, and “ko” means child, so when literally translated, takenoko means “Bamboo’s child.”

This is the stage of bamboo before it grows into the iconic, towering green stalk featured in postcards and film. Bamboo shoots grow underground so they must be dug to harvest. They are conical in shape, green on the outside and white on the inside, and after being harvested the shoot's green exterior turns brown while the inside remains white.

Given the number of bamboo groves in Japan, bamboo shoots are an easy ingredient to find, especially when they begin to sprout out of the ground in spring. Due to this, bamboo shoots are seen as a symbol of spring in Japan.

Activities like bamboo shoot harvesting are commonplace in rural Japan, with groups of people going into the mountains to dig for the shoots once April rolls around. This bamboo harvesting is called takenoko hori (bamboo shoot digging) in Japanese, and many bamboo grove owners and towns hold special bamboo shoot digging events for visitors. 

Bamboo shoots grow quickly into bamboo stalks, and these stalks and are difficult to break despite the bending heights they grow to. As such, the entire plant is a symbol of vitality and growth in Japan. It also features heavily in the folktalke The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, which was made famous abroad thanks to the Ghibli film The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.

In the story, the bamboo cutter and his wife are an edlerly couple with no children. One day, the bamboo cutter happens upon a glowing bamboo shoot and cuts it open to reveal a small baby! The bamboo cutter takes her home to raise with his wife. Of course there are more elements to the story than this, but the adoption of the baby could be seen as the elderly couple momentarily regaining the vitality of their youth.

The vitality of bamboo and bamboo shoots may not just be symbolism found in folktalkes. According to healthline, bamboo shoots are low in calories while rich in fiber, copper and essential vitamins like vitamin E and B6. Due to their fiber content, they have been found to promote gut health and may reduce cholesterol levels and promote weight loss.

One caveat of bamboo shoots is that they must always be prepared properly. Raw bamboo shoots are known to contain a compound that can cause food poisoning if consumed excessively. This compound has a bitter taste, so most individuals won’t want to eat raw bamboo shoots anyway. By boiling or soaking bamboo shoots before preparing them, you can remove this bitterness.

Arguably one of the most commonly consumed bamboo shoot recipes around, menma are fermented bamboo shoots. They are left to ferment for about a month after the bamboo shoot has been boiled or steamed to remove bitterness. You can find menma as a garnish on most bowls of ramen — they are crunchy and have a sweet, yet savory flavor that perfectly compliments the richness of most ramen broths.

Takenoko gohan, or bamboo shoot rice, is a variety of takikomi gohan (mixed rice dish). Takikomi gohan recipes are Japan’s version of one-pot meals.

In this dish, bamboo shoots are boiled, sliced and placed in a rice cooker with rice and other ingredients. Common ingredients are aburaage fried tofu, dashi stock, soy sauce and mirin. Takenoko gohan can also be prepared in pots other than a rice cooker, like clay pots and dutch ovens.

One of the simplest preparation styles for bamboo shoots, takenoko no nimono are bamboo shoots that have been simmered in a savory broth. This broth is the secret sauce to many traditional Japanese foods: dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin, sake rice wine and some sugar to balance out the umami of the dashi and soy sauce. The bamboo shoots are chopped and then boiled in the dashi stock before adding other ingredients to simmer.

Even simpler than the other preparation methods mentioned already, grilled bamboo shoots are exactly what they sound like! Bamboo shoots that have been grilled on the barbeque. Seasoning can be left up to the chef, with some opting for traditional options like soy sauce, and others opting for more Western flavors like consomme or butter.

The perfect crunchy addition to any tempura plate, takenoko tempura is prepared just like any other piece of tempura. Sliced, battered and then breaded in panko bread crumbs before being fried in golden oil.

Takenoko sashimi is one of the simplest ways to prepare and eat Japanese bamboo shoots. After harvesting the shoots, the outer layer is removed, the shoot is sliced thinly and the inner flesh is boiled. The boiled takenoko slices are cooled in ice water and dried. Then, they are enjoyed with soy sauce and wasabi, just like actual fish sashimi!

Arashiyama is one of the most famous bamboo groves in Japan by far, with pathways that meander through a sprawling collection of towering bamboo. You've no doubt seen photos of the area while researching the top spots to visit in Japan. To get a better idea of what Arashiyama and the surrounding food culture of Kyoto is like, watch Shizuka as she strolls around the area!

Once you've seen this must-see spot for bamboo, head back to Kyoto for a taste of Japan's nightlife in this Kyoto bar-hopping tour.

Wanting to avoid the crowds of Kyoto and experience some quintessential Japanese summer vibes? Head on down to Beppu in Oita Prefecture to experience some nagashi soumen, or flowing noodles. These noodles flow downhill through a stalk of bamboo, and diners must be speedy enough to catch the noodles with their chopsticks.

Want to try the flowing noodle experience in Tokyo? Join this tempura cooking class and nagashi somen class to bring this memorable experience to the metropolis.

If your appetite for traditional Japanese foods and ingredients is still unsatisfied, why not learn a bit about Japanese pickles, tsukemono, take a deep dive into wasabi or explore one of Japan’s superfoods, natto?

The best place to see bamboo shoots in Japan is the Bamboo Forest of Arashiyama. Here, you'll find a paradise of towering green bamboo, but look closely and you'll also see growing bamboo shoots.

Yes! Bamboo shoots are high in fiber, copper and essential vitamins like vitamin E and B6. They have been linked to improved gut health, reduced cholesterol levels and weight loss.