From Wednesday, October 7 to Tuesday, October 20, 2026, Yokohama Takashimaya is holding TSUNAGU ACTION WEEKS on various floors of the store. The theme is the social problem of abandoned bamboo groves, and the program invites shoppers to "eat deliciously and use enjoyably" with Hama no Menma (ハマのメンマ), a craft menma made from bamboo cut in Yokohama, along with dishes that use it, a market for comparing menma from around Japan, and everyday goods made from bamboo.
About TSUNAGU ACTION WEEKS
Takashimaya runs a sustainability program called TSUNAGU ACTION, in which it takes the lead together with its stakeholders while thinking about "21st-century affluence." During TSUNAGU ACTION WEEKS, the store expands products and events that offer a chance to think about "the Earth and our future."
As part of this effort, Yokohama Takashimaya has been working since this spring with Yokohama Chikurin Kenkyusho (一般社団法人横浜竹林研究所), a group active in Yokohama, on actions that connect people with people, people with things, and people with the local community. This time, the store has prepared a program that lets customers think about and act on the problem of abandoned bamboo groves, centered on eating deliciously and using enjoyably.
Eating and Using Bamboo from Abandoned Groves: Yokohama Bamboo Project
Bamboo was long an essential part of daily life in Japan as a living resource. Since around the 1960s, however, demand has fallen because of the spread of inexpensive bamboo shoots and the diversification of plastic products. Combined with a lack of management as the population ages, this has left many bamboo groves untended. These abandoned bamboo groves (a problem also known as "bamboo damage") have become a serious social issue.
To address it, the store has teamed up with Yokohama Chikurin Kenkyusho, a local group that belongs to the Junkokusan Menma Project (純国産メンマプロジェクト), which aims to solve the problem by "eating deliciously and maintaining bamboo groves." The program covers Hama no Menma, made with "takena" (竹菜) cut from bamboo groves in Yokohama, and limited-time products and menu items that use it. It also extends to the Craft Menma Market, where visitors can compare domestic menma from around Japan, and to the sale of various products made from abandoned bamboo.
Craft Menma from Yokohama: Hama no Menma and Dishes Made with It
The following are some examples of Hama no Menma and the dishes that use it.
Yokohama Chikurin Kenkyusho (横浜竹林研究所)
- Location: B1F Foodies' Port 1, Ajihyakusen (味百選)
- Hama no Menma Original (100 g per bag): ¥756
- Hama no Menma Original, tips (穂先) (100 g per bag): ¥972
Photos are for illustration purposes.
Yokohama Chinatown Kocho (横浜中華街 皇朝)
- Location: B1F Foodies' Port 1, prepared foods
- Salt-flavored yakisoba with starchy sauce and Hama no Menma (1 pack): ¥1,080
Ishingo (維新號)
- Location: B1F Foodies' Port 1, prepared foods
- Meat bun with menma and shiitake mushrooms (1 piece): ¥540 (limited to 10 per day)
Nishiri (西利)
- Location: B1F Foodies' Port 1, prepared foods
- Yokohama Takenoko: Rabure Menma Namul Style (横浜たけのこ～ラブレメンマのナムル仕立て～) (100 g): ¥486
Kakuuchi Food & Bar (角打ち Food＆Bar)
- Dates: Wednesday, October 7 to Tuesday, October 20
- Location: B1F Foodies' Port 2, Japanese and Western liquor section (和洋酒)
- Hama no Menma simmered with Japanese pepper (山椒煮): ¥770
- Hama no Menma with basil sauce: ¥770
Ginza Fukusuke (銀座 福助)
- Location: 8F Rose Dining restaurant floor
- Menma sushi roll (1 serving): ¥880
Kamakura Katsutei Aratama (鎌倉かつ亭 あら珠)
- Location: 8F Rose Dining restaurant floor
- Menma cream croquette (1 piece): ¥550
Gyutan to Wagyu Yaki Aoba (牛たんと和牛焼き 青葉)
- Location: 8F Rose Dining restaurant floor
- Seared domestic menma tasting set (1 serving): ¥649
The menu items offered at the 8F Rose Dining restaurant floor are available from Wednesday, October 7 to Tuesday, October 27.
Craft Menma Market: Comparing 14 Types from 12 Prefectures
At the Craft Menma Market, visitors can compare 14 types of domestic menma made from bamboo maintained in 12 prefectures across Japan. Examples include Hinomaru Menma (ひのまるメンマ) from Tokushima, Egoma Puchi Puchi Zeitaku Menma (えごまプチプチ贅沢メンマ) from Tottori, and Hakata Menma (博多メンマ) from Fukuoka. Sale prices may differ from those at which the products are sold in each region.
Craft Bamboo Market: Everyday Goods Born from Abandoned Bamboo Groves
The Craft Bamboo Market displays and sells a variety of products created through the maintenance of abandoned bamboo groves. Bamboo tea is also available to sample at the venue. The goods are everyday items made from an eco-friendly material that gives abandoned bamboo groves new life.
Examples of products on sale:
- Bamboo tea (一期竹茶) in plain, yuzu and kuromoji flavors: ¥2,160 each. A caffeine-free tea made by cutting and crushing bamboo stalks (culms) with a proprietary technique and roasting them carefully.
- Takegami 100 Notebook (竹紙100ノート) in Uribo (young wild boar) and Panda designs: ¥880 each. A notebook made with bamboo paper (takegami) from 100% Japanese bamboo. It writes more smoothly than you might expect from bamboo.
- Bamboo lunch box bag (竹弁当箱バッグ)
- Bamboo-blend tableware (竹配合食器)
Bamboo Grove Maintenance and Bamboo Kuchen Making Experience
A reservation-only experience event, limited to Takashimaya Kids Club members, lets participants try maintaining a bamboo grove in Yokohama and making Bamboo Kuchen (バンブークーヘン).
- Date and time: Sunday, November 22, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
- Venue: Shinohara-cho, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama (10 minutes on foot from JR Shin-Yokohama Station)
- Capacity: 10 groups, 20 people (Takashimaya Kids Club members only)
- Eligibility: Children in elementary school or older. A parent or guardian must accompany them.
- Participation fee: Free
- Meeting point: Participants should arrive by 10:00 AM at the ticket gates of the Shinohara Exit of JR Shin-Yokohama Station on the day, where staff will guide them to the venue.
- Reservations: Online advance registration opens at noon on Wednesday, October 7 through the Yokohama Takashimaya website. Reservations are limited to Takashimaya Kids Club members, and the Takashimaya app member number is required when booking.
Photos are for illustration purposes.
Event Information
- TSUNAGU ACTION WEEKS dates: Wednesday, October 7 to Tuesday, October 20, 2026
- Venue: Yokohama Takashimaya, various floors
- Craft Menma Market: Wednesday, October 7 to Tuesday, October 13, at the event spot in B1F Foodies' Port 1
- Craft Bamboo Market: Wednesday, October 7 to Tuesday, October 13, at the special venue next to B elevator on the 7th floor (closes at 5:00 PM on the last day)
- Rose Dining (8F) menu items: Wednesday, October 7 to Tuesday, October 27
- Bamboo grove maintenance and Bamboo Kuchen making experience: Sunday, November 22 (reservation required)
Prices include consumption tax. Quantities are limited, so items may sell out. Participating stores and products may be partially changed or canceled due to circumstances.
