Cherry blossoms blooming in Tokyo, beating 2024’s date by 5 days
Cherry blossoms on a Somei-Yoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 24. PHOTO: EPA-EFE via The Straits Times/Asia News Network
TOKYO – Cherry trees started flowering in Tokyo on March 24, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced.
That is five days earlier than 2024, and the trees are expected to be in full bloom in about a week, the agency said.
At 2pm, an official at the weather agency confirmed six flowers on a Somei-Yoshino cherry tree, which is more than the five used as a benchmark for making an announcement.
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The tree is a sample specimen that was being monitored by the agency at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine.
A day earlier, on March 23, the Somei-Yoshino cherry blossoms started to bloom in Kochi and Kumamoto prefectures, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, making the areas the first in Japan to see the blossoms in 2025.
The cherry blossoms in both cities are said to be blooming one day later than usual.
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According to the Kochi Regional Meteorological Observatory, more than 15 blossoms were found to be blooming on a monitored Somei-Yoshino cherry tree in Kochi Castle on March 23 afternoon.
March 23 was sunny across a wide area of the country, with maximum temperatures exceeding 25 degrees C in some areas.
