Takenoko, Bamboo Shoots

My mother gave me some boiled bamboo shoots, or takenoko in Japanese, today. It was the first takenoko this year.

My mother lives in a rural area that has bamboo forests. Many residents go into bamboo forests and get bamboo shoots for their meal or gift for neighbors. When my mother comes home, she often finds abandoned bamboo shoots in the entrance during this season. It's a gift from nature and neighbors.