Overview
- Japan Meteorological Agency observers at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine counted 61 open blossoms on the reference Yoshino tree to make the call.
- The start comes about five days ahead of the long-term average of March 24 for the capital.
- Recent trendlines include the earliest starts on record in 2020, 2021 and 2023, when blooms opened on March 14.
- Fujiyoshida ended its decade-old cherry-blossom festival, citing unmanageable crowds, sanitation problems and persistent traffic.
- Berlin offers extensive cherry-blossom corridors planted after reunification through a TV-Asahi fundraiser, with over 1,000 trees on former border strips and funding for more than 9,000 citywide.