By SHOKO RIKIMARU/ Staff Writer
April 5, 2024 at 16:10 JST
The Japan Meteorological Agency declared on April 4 that a benchmark cherry tree at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine is in full bloom, the latest date for that tree in the last 10 years. (Shoko Rikimaru)
An expectant crowd of viewers from Japan and abroad had gathered at Yasukuni Shrine in central Tokyo when the official announcement came on April 4 that the capital's sakura were in full bloom.
The shrine is known for its “sample” someiyoshino cherry tree—a single tree, considered an exemplar of its species, that the Japan Meteorological Agency uses to gauge the start and peak of cherry blossom season in Tokyo.
Officials from the JMA’s Tokyo Regional Headquarters declared in Japanese and sign language around 2 p.m. on April 4 that the sakura had reached “full bloom” —causing the waiting crowd, who had been holding their smartphones with bated breath, to erupt into applause and cries of joy.
A woman in the crowd, who traveled to the shrine from Tokyo’s Nerima Ward, said, “I always feel a sense of peace when I gaze at sakura, and I am also happy that more international travelers are visiting Japan to enjoy the cherry blossoms.”
Before the declaration, JMA officials walked around the sample tree, which is surrounded by a wooden fence, to confirm that at least 80 percent of the tree’s flowers had opened, the benchmark for “full bloom.”
The cherry blossoms are expected to be in peak bloom for a week to 10 days.
This year, the tree started blooming on March 29, the latest date in the last 10 years.
However, it only took six days for the flowers to reach peak bloom, one day shorter than the average in the past.
“Temperatures were low in February and March when flower buds were growing, but unseasonably high temperatures over the last weekend pushed the opening flowers to full blossom,” the JMA said of the timing.
The cherry tree at the shrine has been used as Tokyo’s benchmark tree since 1966.
It is one of 58 designated sample trees across Japan. Tokyo’s tree was the 13th to be declared in full bloom.
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