Tokyo, Japan – Visitors and locals crowded Tokyo’s popular cherry blossom locations on Thursday to appreciate the delayed full bloom in the Japanese capital caused by cold weather this year.
The beautiful dark branches filled with pink and white flowers, called sakura in Japanese, overflowed from the Imperial Palace's moat, attracting people who wanted to take photos or simply admire the view.
Michitaka Saito, 68, expressed to AFP how the cherry blossoms symbolize joy and beauty, making everything around feel cheerful and lovely.
Saito, who visits Chidorigafuchi Park next to the moat in central Tokyo annually, shared, “Seeing the cherry blossoms makes me feel like I've had a good start to the year ahead.”
In Japan, the sakura season traditionally marks the start of the new fiscal year, symbolizing new beginnings and the transient nature of life.
Eiko Hirose, 76, mentioned that enjoying the cherry blossoms with her husband Sadao signifies good health and a good time for them both.
She added, “We often assume that we'll be able to see them again next year, but who knows? Anything can happen.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) announced on Thursday that the popular “somei yoshino” variety of cherry tree in the country had reached full bloom, which is four days later than the city's average.
While cold weather is blamed for the late blooming this year, the agency also warned about the long-term impact of climate change causing the delicate petals to appear earlier.
Last year, the sakura began to bloom on March 14, matching the earliest date on record set in 2020 and 2021, and reached full bloom on March 22.
The JMA states, “Since 1953, the average start date for cherry blossoms to bloom in Japan has been getting earlier, at a rate of about 1.2 days per 10 years.”
“The rise in temperature over the long term is believed to be a factor,” the agency stated, along with other factors such as the urban heat island effect.
Tourism in Japan has been thriving since pandemic-era travel restrictions were lifted, and on Thursday, an international crowd also enjoyed the scenery.
Kamilla Kielbowska, 35, from New York, planned her third trip to Japan around the cherry blossoms.
“We arrived here, I think, on March 23. And I was joking… 'Okay, we have to go to this park straight from the airport, I can't miss sakura.'”
However, “It was really cold, and no trees were blooming. I was a little disappointed, but I hoped I would still see them in full bloom before I leave.”
She commented, “It definitely met my expectations,” describing the sight as “wonderful” and “extremely magical.”
Katsuhiro Miyamoto, a retired professor from Kansai University, estimates that the economic impact of Japan's cherry blossom season, including travel and events under the blossoms, is 1.1 trillion yen ($7.3 billion) this year, up from 616 billion yen in 2023.
by Agence France-Presse
