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DIY Renovation
Uncovering the Hidden Secrets of Traditional Japanese Earthen Walls
Plus, everything you ever wanted to know about bamboo
It seems that everyone outside Japan loves bamboo, and everyone inside Japan hates it. Fresh, green, well tended bamboo groves can be lovely. But wild stands of untended bamboo quickly become unwanted invasive burdens. I’m ambivalent: bamboo is ruthless, but I have to admit, it’s also really useful.
When visitors to Japan see those gorgeous green bamboo gardens, what they are looking at is the artful maintenance of what would naturally be a wild thicket.
Bamboo needs plenty of sun, so it won’t grow under dark overstories. And bamboo is competitive: individual canes surge higher and higher each year in their attempt to grab the most sunshine. The winners become giants, while the losers remain stunted. Eventually the weaker canes in the understory will succumb, mold will begin to accumulate, and strong winds will cause them to snap. The result is a thick criss-crossed mess that is impenetrable to man or beast.
Bamboo cutters
Behind my house, the land rises steeply from the open sunny Kibi Plain to the dense forest of Masakiyama. Here, where cultivated farms meet mountain wildlands, is…
