The Breathtaking Bamboo Forests of Kyoto
Kyoto's Arashiyama forest testifies to the great beauty and value of one Earth’s earliest forms of plant life.
A healthy film of chlorophyll spreads under the towering bamboos of Arashiyama forest in Kyoto, Japan. A peaceful, cool spot where walkways zigzag through bamboo trunks and sunlight shoots through their delicate foliage. This grass, with its great abundance and mysticism, is a vital part of Japanese culture and one of the most prolific and promising natural resources.
The simple and linear shape of the bamboo is markedly present throughout Japanese history, in tea houses, on walls, in art materials, in music and interior design. Because of its firm and durable nature, by the 5th century bamboo was already considered “the finest and most unique material” for making everything from bows and arrows to whistles and pots. As the fastest growing plant on earth, bamboo should also be at the top of our list of renewable resources.
Arashiyama forest is a tribute to the beauty and usefulness of these giant grasses. Suffused with fresh air and inhabited by the hum of growing stems, it is the perfect spot to pay homage to the wisdom and beauty of the ancient bamboo.
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