TOKYO: Tokyo saw cherry blossoms start blooming on Sunday, the same date as last year and the earliest date since records began in 1953, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

A sample Somei-Yoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Chiyoda Ward began flowering on the day, 12 days earlier than average year, according to the agency.

Cherry trees in the Japanese capital are expected to come into full bloom in about a week.

This spring in Japan, the start of cherry blossom blooming was declared by a local agency office in the western city of Hiroshima on Thursday and in the southwestern city of Fukuoka on Friday, earliest on record for respective cities.

Flower buds of cherry trees develop in summer and then go dormant before being awakened by bitterly cold weather in winter. This process went smoothly this winter and many warm days since the second half of January promoted the buds’ development, according to the Japan Weather Association.

Other parts of the country are also expected to see cherry blossoms start flowering much earlier than average year.

In the Tokyo metropolitan area, where the government’s state of emergency over the coronavirus epidemic remains in place, many cherry blossom festivals, including one in Chiyoda Ward, have been canceled in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.

Ueno Park in Taito Ward, known as a major cherry blossom-viewing spot, bans visitors from unfurling mats under cherry trees for “hanami” flower viewing picnics.

JIJI Press