Kumamoto: Blossoms Opening

After several days of cooler than average temperatures in the last seven days, today's warm weather provided the much needed heat for the buds to open. Tokyo and Kyoto both announced the opening of their first blossoms (kaika) today, and other cities that also announced kaika include Kagoshima, Takamatsu, Saga, Shimonoseki, Tottori and Kofu. The warm temperatures forecast for the next four days are also likely to create a flurry of kaika announcements for the remaining cities in western Japan and eastern Japan, not including the Tohoku region, over the next few days. The cities that already have open blossoms are also expected to reach their best viewing period by the first half of next week.

I visited Kumamoto, where the opening of their first blossoms was announced on March 26, and observed that while only about 25 percent of the blossoms were open today, many of the closed buds were on the brink of opening. I expect the best viewing to start from Sunday and continue through the first week of April.

I started my day at Suizenji Garden, a nice Japanese landscape garden in Kumamoto. A small grove of cherry trees can be found in the eastern end of the garden, and I found that about 40 percent of the Somei Yoshino blossoms were open there. I expect the best viewing period at Suizenji Garden to start from Sunday and continue through the first week of April.

My next and last stop was Kumamoto Castle, one of the icons and symbols of Kumamoto. The castle suffered major damage during a big earthquake in 2016, and the on-going repair works on the castle grounds are expected to be completed around 2038. There are about 500 cherry trees on the sprawling castle grounds, and the Ninomaru lawns, from where the keep can be seen, are especially popular for picnicking. I found that the cherry blossoms were still under the halfway mark to full bloom, but the warm temperatures today and over the next few days should encourage the closed buds to open. I expect the best viewing in Kumamoto to start from Sunday and continue through the first week of April.