Photo/Illutration Boats carrying children dressed up as "hina" dolls parade on a canal in Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, on March 20, in an annual festival signaling the arrival of spring. (Jun Kaneko)

Spring is in the air in many parts of Japan, with reports of sakura starting to bloom bringing cheer to the hearts of those tired of winter. 

The Tokyo District Meteorological Observatory on March 20 announced that cherry trees in central Tokyo have blossomed, earlier than in average years.

Staff of the observatory observed 10 flowers blooming on a sample tree of someiyoshino at Yasukuni Shrine in the capital’s Chiyoda Ward at 2 p.m. on the day.

While the capital’s “declaration of sakura blooming” was four days earlier than normal, it was six days later than last year, which tied a record for the earliest blossoming. 

Cherry trees have started to bloom elsewhere, particularly in warmer parts of Japan to the south. 

In Fukuoka, cherry blossoms officially started to bloom on March 17.

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A someiyoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward starts blooming on March 20. (Shinnosuke Ito)

In Yanagawa, a southern city in Fukuoka Prefecture, girls decked out in traditional dress paraded on “donkobune” boats and sailed through a canal on March 20.

The parade is an annual event signaling the arrival of spring, a part of Yanagawa’s traditional “hina” doll festival called “Sagemonmeguri,” which continues until April 3.

Eleven boats carrying about 100 kindergarten pupils and their mothers dressed up as hina dolls traveled through a 4-kilometer course on a canal that runs through the city, entertaining locals and visitors along the route. 

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, cherry blossoms are expected to start blooming in Nagoya on March 21, as well as in Osaka on March 23.

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A "donkobune" boat carrying people dressed up as "hina" dolls moves slowly on a canal in Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, on March 20. (Jun Kaneko)

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