Cherry Blossoms Start Blooming in Tokyo

Tokyo, March 14 (Jiji Press)--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.

The start of cherry blossom blooming was also declared Sunday in the western city of Matsue and the southwestern city of Nagasaki, earliest on record for respective cities. In the western city of Hiroshima and the southwestern city of Fukuoka, cherry blossoms started flowering on Thursday and Friday, respectively, also earliest ever.

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.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]