By KAZUSHIGE KOBAYASHI/ Staff Writer
February 17, 2023 at 18:50 JST
People stroll among cherry trees in Tokyo’s Ueno Park on March 31, 2022. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Frigid temperatures in January will cause cherry blossoms to bloom a few days earlier than usual this year, according to forecasters.
People in Fukuoka and Kochi prefectures will be the first to enjoy the fleeting signs of spring’s arrival on March 19, followed by those in Tokyo on March 22, Nagoya on March 23 and Osaka on March 25, according to the Japan Weather Association’s forecasts issued on Feb. 16.
The wave of pink flowers sweeping over the country is expected to reach the Hokuriku region, Nagano Prefecture and the southern part of the Tohoku region from late March through early April.
The sakura wave will make its way farther north in the Tohoku region in mid-April before arriving in Sapporo on April 29, the association said.
A commercial weather forecaster, Weathernews Inc., made similar predictions for the blossoms of “someiyoshino,” the most common variety of cherry tree in Japan.
Cold air fronts have covered Japan since December 2022, bringing temperatures to record lows in late January. The chill helped put cherry blossom buds through a cold period they need to prepare to bloom.
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