WBC-VIII-Vol.4 – Resources – Forestry, Plantations and ... - BambuSC

Figure 2: A maintained bamboo forest
Situation of the Bamboo Forests in Kitakyushu
The city of Kitakyushu is located in the western part of Japan on the island of Kyushu. Kitakyushu has one of
the largest bamboo forest areas in Japan (city area: about 480 km 2 ); the total bamboo forest area is not exactly
known but is estimated to cover about 1500 ha. In the south of Kitakyushu is located a place which is called
Ouma, an area well-known in Japan for its bamboo sprouts. The Ouma bamboo sprouts are distributed all over
Japan. Because there is still a large demand for the Ouma bamboo sprouts, the bamboo forest in this area are
rather well maintained compared to bamboo forests in other parts of Kitakyushu which are not maintained at all.
Another part of the city, located in the northwest of Kitakyushu is the Wakamatsu ward. The Wakamatsu ward
is a very rural not densely inhabited area, and an area with large bamboo forests. In Wakamatsu, most of the
VIII World Bamboo Congress Proceedings Vol 4-107