Bamboo shoots sprout

Right now we are in the middle of a micro season called Bamboo shoots sprout, 竹笋生 (Takenoko shōzu). It is the third and final micro-season of the solar term "Rikka", aka "Beginning of summer". Most of the 72 micro season in Japan are five days long, but "Bamboo shoots sprout" is on for a period of six days. It started on May 15th in 2026 and is on until May 20th.

As the name suggests, the micro season "Bamboo Shoots Sprout" sees the emergence of young bamboo spears in the earth. Bamboo plays a vital role in Japan and is used for a multitude of different purposes. There are approximately 600 different species of bamboo in Japan. Within that there are two broad categories - bamboo that is native to Japan, known as "Sasa" and "Take" which includes species native to Japan as well as species introduced to Japan from China centuries ago.

Ironically, the arrival of this microseason marks the end of the harvest period of the the young bamboo shoots which are a seasonal delicacy known as "takenoko". That is because "Takenoko" are dug out from deep within the earth, before the shoots are visible over ground. Overall the micro-season "Bamboo Shoots Sprout" brings more growth in nature as well as more movement of wildlife. In addition, there is a more visible transition to summer in climate too.