Cherry Blossom Report: Tokyo
by Sean, staff writer of japan-guide.com
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2013/03/21 - Cherry Blossom Report: Tokyo
For those who don't already know, the cherry blossoms at Tokyo have been making news recently for a record-setting start to the season. The official recorded date is March 16, ten days faster than the average year and spectacularly two weeks earlier than last year. Comparisons can be made between this Tokyo report and our reports at similar timings in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
The reason for the quick start this year was a significantly warmer than average first few weeks of March, especially in the Kanto Region. With conducive temperatures forecast to continue over the next couple of days, the cherry trees of Tokyo are expected to reach full bloom over the weekend. This might have thrown some travellers off their travel plans; for those looking for Plan B, please check out this page for alternatives.
Elsewhere in the Kansai Region, temperatures had also risen suddenly in March after a cold winter but changes had been less dramatic. Thus, the start to the cherry blossom season here is expected to be early but not quite as much as in the Kanto Region. Cherry blossoms in Osaka opened today, and the ones in Kyoto are expected to start blooming on March 25. The recent situation can be seen on Scott's report yesterday.
Further south at Kyushu, the season has also started much faster than in the average year. Scott will be in the area to report about the cherry blossoms there over the next few days. Over at the northern end in Hokkaido and the Tohoku regions, temperatures hadn't varied that much from the average year, and therefore it is likely that we would see a relatively typical season.
Ueno Park
March 21, 2013 - approaching full bloom (50-80%)
Those that are coming to Ueno Park this weekend for hanami (cherry blossom watching) parties are in for a good time. Today, the trees were around the halfway mark. Many of the lower branches were already pretty full-looking while many buds on the higher branches seemed like they needed only another day or two of warm weather before they start unfolding. As tomorrow and Saturday is forecast to be warm, peak season is expected to arrive at the park this weekend.
Sumida Park
March 21, 2013 - opening (10-50%)
The cherry trees at Sumida Park were at a less advanced stage than those at Ueno Park. Only about a quarter of the blossoms were in bloom for most trees, although some of them were more anxious to show off their pretty petals than the others. Visitors this weekend should be able to see some nice views here, although peak might arrive a day later than at Ueno Park.
Koishikawa Korakuen
March 21, 2013 - opening (10-50%) (Somei Yoshino)
March 21, 2013 - petals starting to fall (Weeping Cherries)
I was very surprised to see that the main weeping cherry tree close to the entrance at Koishikawa Korakuen had already passed its peak. Although weeping cherry blossoms generally bloom earlier than the mainstream variety of Somei Yoshino, I was expecting to see the tree at full bloom yet. The strong winds last night might have shortened the lifespan of its fragile flowers.
Interestingly, of the two other weeping cherry trees that were less than 50 meters away, one was in full bloom and the other was just starting to shed petals. The late blooming yaebeni weeping cherry tree which stood beside the main tree had only its first flowers open. The Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms were still about three days ahead of their peak, which means visitors to the garden can expect pleasant views for a week from now and possibly beyond.
Shinjuku Gyoen
March 21, 2013 - opening (10-50%) (Somei Yoshino)
March 21, 2013 - full bloom (Early blooming varieties)
Shinjuku Gyoen is a great cherry blossom spot because its spacious grounds is home to a wide variety of cherry trees. The range of cherry trees from early to late flowering ones prolongs the season here, and consequently visitors tend not to be disappointed.
Today I found several early blooming varieties at the park at their peak, while the Somei Yoshino, the most numerous cherry trees, were about at the quarter mark. However, many of the buds were full-looking and I wouldn't be surprised if peak is reached over the weekend as well.
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