THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
February 22, 2020 at 16:56 JST
Pedestrians stroll along a street in Tokyo's ritzy Ginza district that was blocked off to vehicular traffic on the afternoon of Feb. 22 when "haru-ichiban" was observed in the Kanto region. (Shiro Nishihata)
A sure sign that winter has ended emerged Feb. 22 with “haru-ichiban,” the first warm spring winds in the Kanto region.
This year’s haru-ichiban arrived 15 days earlier than 2019, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
By 2 p.m., gusts as strong as 38.9 kph were observed in central Tokyo, with similar levels also observed in neighboring Chiba and Yokohama.
Haru-ichiban is defined by the JMA as the first strong warm wind from the south that is observed between “risshun,” the first day of spring under the lunar calendar that fell on Feb. 4 this year, and the vernal equinox, which this year is March 20.
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