Tokyo’s government-run cherry blossom spotters confirmed the first flowering in three cities on Monday, marking the official start of Japan’s sakura season, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Officials said they inspected benchmark cherry trees of the Somei Yoshino variety and issued the start-of-season call after confirming enough blossoms on each tree.
The JMA team looked at three locations, including Kochi in the southwest, along with Gifu and Yamanashi in central Japan. The agency said it counted more than five flowers on each benchmark tree, a minimum threshold used for the official announcement.
The first tree to bloom was in Kochi. The JMA said the Kochi Somei Yoshino tree blossomed first for the third year in a row and flowered six days earlier than the average year, the agency said. It also reported that the benchmark trees in Gifu and Yamanashi flowered nine days earlier than the average.
Shinobu Imoto of the Kochi Meteorological Agency told TBS television that low rainfall during the winter and longer hours of sunshine might have helped drive the earlier blooming. The JMA’s assessment aligns with the broader seasonal pattern in which cherry blossoms typically reach peak bloom in late March to early April, when many people in Japan celebrate the transition to a new school and business year.
Alongside the tradition of walking or picnicking under the trees, the AP report noted that communities near popular viewing spots have complained in recent years about issues tied to overtourism, including littering and noise. Sakura remain a long-standing cultural symbol in Japan, and the government’s annual bloom announcements provide a widely followed signal for the season’s timing.