The Japanese Government announced today (March 21st) that the cherry blossoms season has officially started in Japan. A Japanese official reportedly spotted five flowers on a someiyoshino tree this morning in Yasukuni Shrine, despite today’s rainy weather.
Tokyo is surprisingly the first city in the country to receive the announcement this year. The agency told The Japan Times that this is five days earlier than average.
According to Japan Guide, Fukuoka (March 22) and Yokohama (March 23) are estimated to be opening this weekend.
Here are a few other major cities and their expected opening dates:
Kyoto – March 30th
Osaka – March 29th
Nagoya – March 27th
This video was taken by The Japan Times, and shows local residents coming out to the park in order to get a glimpse of the first opening.
Millions of residents throughout Japan are looking forward to seeing the cherry blossoms. It is an annual event to hold hanami, also known as cherry-blossom viewing. These parties are held underneath trees in parks during the blooming season.
