Bamboo Shoots

The bamboo shoots are coming up. The only reason this one escaped was because it was in my backyard. The boars are pretty thick this year, and they can smell shoots before most people find them.

Planting Jinenjo (Dioscorea opposita )

I have no idea if I did it right, it is just an experiment.

First, I lay a piece of Moso bamboo I had split and knocked the nodes out of and checked the length.

Then, I dug a trench in the side of my garden bank and put the bamboo trough in it.

Then I filled the trench with soft soil, being careful to avoid any rocks or roots.

At the top of the bamboo trough, I put the top 15cm of jinenjo root my friend gave me, and carefully replaced the soil around it.

The theory is that the root will grow down the bamboo trough, and I won't have to dig a one meter deep hole next to the root just to get it out without breaking it.


**** 2012/05/06**** The embankment was destroyed by wild boars, and I am afraid the jinenjo were as well.

Big Planned Fire

I forgot to post the burning of the Fire Festival house.

Tori Oi Matsuri

On Sunday, I headed off to Kimida with a truck bed full of tools and a truck cab full of me and the two oldest kids. The wife and baby stayed behind, since we would be outside the whole day.
Why did we go to Kimida? Well to build the Bird Chasing Festival Hut of course! Silly! What else would we be doing in January on a frozen rice paddy?
It was a blast though. I have loved bamboo since I was a kid, and I love to make things out of it. (Usually the things I make by myself just fall over though. Good thing some people who knew what they were doing were there!)
If you are interested in making your own Bird Chasing Festival Hut, here is how you do it.

1. In early December, cut about a zillion Moso bamboo poles. They should be at least 10 meters.
2. After cutting the zillion 'boo, then cut and bundle about 15-20 heaping truckloads of head high or more grasses. 
3. Dig postholes about a meter apart along the future walls of your hut (4x5 meter huts are a good size.) and drop in 5 meter long poles.
4. Attach horizontal members to the outside at about 90 cm intervals. 
5. Square the building and put in some diagonal stabilizers.
6. Lay the ceiling joists (flat) every meter or so, and cross them with rafters at 60cm intervals.
7. Split some very long bamboo into quarter strips, knock out the nodes.
8. Apply the bottom layer of grass thatching, securing it to the horizontal beams with the quarter strip bamboo withes. The bamboo will just bend right around the corners. Might crack the long way, but that won't hurt the strength any.
9. Apply a second layer the same way, slightly overlapping the first. This should go all the way to the rafters and a bit beyond.
10. Cover the roof with bundles of grass, and leftover bamboo branches.

Or you could just watch this video:



Now dig a firepit in the center, and this is important- DON'T USE OPEN FLAMES IN THE FIREPIT. Bring in a few pieces of already burning charcoal for use in the center of the pit. Roast some fish and rice cakes on bamboo skewers, drink a cup or two of rice wine heated in bamboo pitchers and served in green bamboo cups. Then everyone go outside, check that the fire department truck is standing by, and torch that sucker.

Kudzu vs. Bamboo- Ultimate Death match

Who will be the big winner?
Will the single shoot of madake bamboo be able to withstand the awesome growth power of the mighty kudzu?
Cast your vote now!!!

(2:1 odds on the Kudzu since bamboo puts on all its growth in the first few months of its life, but Kudzu grows forever, like credit card debt.)

Nagashi Sōmen

Nagashi Sōmen is a traditional way to eat Sōmen noodles here in Japan. First a bit about the noodles. They are a white, thinly stretched wheat noodle less than 1.3 mm in diameter. Usually we eat them cold, in a dipping sauce made of katsuobushi (shaved dried bonito). We often put in some ginger root, chives, or even egg into the dipping sauce for extra texture and taste.

The nagashi is the fun part. I cut a 10m section of Moso-bamboo and split it in half, then knocked out all the nodes. We propped it up on some smaller 'boo and set up the hose to run water down it. Then we dropped small clumps of noodles down the chute. As they raced down, we tried to scoop them out with our chopsticks. Quite a bit of it ended up in the colander placed at the base. Unlike the upscale restaurants, we recycled the noodles and gave them a second chance down the flume. It was great! Then came the dessert. We took little fruit konyaku desserts (like jello but firmer) and ran them down. The kids loved it. You can also send cherry tomatoes, strawberries, or anything that is fairly round and will tumble down the chute in the stream.