The expansion of bamboo forests due to climate change and neglect has raised concerns about declining forest biodiversity and the loss of ecosystem services. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of bamboo forest expansion and its effects on vegetation structure in a bamboo forest near Fukuoka City, Japan. A total of 15 sites were surveyed for vegetation and light conditions within the bamboo forest and adjacent to natural forests outside of it. The results revealed that high culm density in bamboo forests leads to extreme changes in light intensity and quality, which is unfavorable for plant germination and growth, resulting in low plant species diversity. Consequently, the understory vegetation was dominated by only certain plants with strong shade tolerance. Under these conditions, there were fewer bamboo shoots. Bamboo invades natural forests by extending its underground canopy beyond the resource-advantaged bamboo forest. In doing so, it grows bamboo shoots and encroaches on the tree canopy in a short period of time. This invasion strategy gradually simplifies the hierarchical forest structure and reduces species diversity.