by Japan announced the official start of the cherry blossom season this Tuesday, with the awakening of the first petals in Tokyo. its flowering sakuraone of the most anticipated phenomena of the year, and is celebrated in Japanese tradition with picnics under the treetops (hanami), takes place earlier – tying records in various parts of the country.
In Tokyo, flowering began “ten days earlier than usual and six days earlier than last year, making it the first record since statistics began [1953]is equivalent to 2021 and 2020,” the Japan Meteorological Agency said in a statement.
The white and pink petals of the famous cherry blossoms have also begun to appear in Yokohama (where the 2002 record was tied) and the cities of Uwajima and Sukumo (no statistics).
Temperatures are expected to remain “warmer than normal” over the next few days across the country, causing cherry blossoms to bloom “earlier than normal in many locations,” according to the weather service.
REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
In recent days, temperatures in Tokyo have been “well above normal”, with “three out of five days reaching maximum temperatures of 20ºC or more”.
In addition to the hot days, “climate change may also have played a role,” a spokesman for the weather service told television cameras on Tuesday, cited by the French Geo. In 2021, the agency had already predicted that the early onset of flowering would be linked to the warming trend.
In the capital, cherry blossoms are expected to reach their peak next week, when the first blossoms are expected to begin to open in cities such as Kyoto and Osaka. The phenomenon usually lasts about ten days, depending on weather conditions.
hanami returns, without restrictions, to the gardens
With the flowering of the first cherries, the hanamithe Japanese tradition of admiring its colorful petals sakura and celebrate the arrival of spring with a picnic under the treetops.
After three years of heavy restrictions due to the pandemic, it is the first time Tokyo parks are allowing traditional picnics again, as the government continues to relax measures imposed to fight Covid-19.
It is also the first year since the pandemic that foreign tourists will be able to observe the phenomenon in Japan, after the borders remained closed until last September. Major events associated with cherry blossoms have also returned, such as the Meguro River Sakura festival, which was canceled for the past three years.
