Baby bamboo
I took this picture on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at Omiyahachiman Shrine in Suginami-ku, Tokyo, a short bus ride from my apartment. This is a bamboo shoot, called “takenoko” in Japanese, which literally means “bamboo baby.” It grows quickly, like grass. Bamboo is actually more akin to giant prehistoric grass than a modern tree.
They are usually harvested when they are about the size and shape of an artillery shell, and they are edible. When you cook it, it stinks like boiling paste - that thick, white Elmer’s school paste you might remember from your childhood. But it’s good to eat.