NHK


 

 
Private-sector weather firms in Japan have released their latest forecasts for when the buds on cherry trees in the country will start to open this spring. They say the Somei Yoshino variety will come into bloom earlier than usual in many areas.

The Japan Weather Association announced on Thursday that central Tokyo and Fukuoka City will see the country's earliest blossoming on March 20.
It predicts that they will be followed by the cities of Nagoya and Kochi on March 21, Hiroshima on March 22, Osaka on March 24, Sendai on April 1 and Sapporo on April 27.

The association said it made the forecasts based on a severe cold snap in January, many days of higher-than-average temperatures in February and relatively warmer-than-normal temperatures expected for March.

Another company, Weather Map, also announced on Thursday that this year's earliest blooming will be on March 16 in central Tokyo.

It said blossoms will appear in Nagoya, Kochi and Fukuoka on March 17, Hiroshima on March 19, Osaka on March 22, Sendai on April 2 and Sapporo on April 25.

Many locations are expected to see flowering earlier than average, with markedly early blooms expected in parts of eastern Japan.