The bamboo shoot season is fast approaching its end.
When freshly dug , it is soft enough to be eaten as sashimi. 
Shiroko is considered the highest quality product, and is served on the plates of restaurants in Tokyo as well as Kyoto, signaling the arrival of spring .
The bamboo shoot fields in Rakusai Otokuni apparently require a great deal of effort to grow, with straw mulching, soil being added, and fertilization required according to the season.
The season in which it can be eaten is short, so it makes sense that when it is in season it is written with a bamboo crown and called "takenoko".
