Travel

Cherry blossoms arrive on schedule in Tokyo

TOKYO, Mar 25 (NHK) - Weather officials say cherry blossoms have started blooming in Tokyo. The event occurred on the same date as the seasonal average and five days earlier than last year.

The mercury rose to a warm 19.1 degrees Celsius in central Tokyo by 2 p.m. on Monday.

The Meteorological Agency announced the start of the cherry blossom season after officials confirmed six flowers were in bloom on a benchmark cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in the capital.

The annual announcement is made when at least five to six blossoms are spotted on that particular tree.

A weather official said that temperatures in early and mid-March were about the same as the seasonal average, and the cherry blossom season arrived as usual.

He added that no open flowers were confirmed the previous day, but warm weather with temperatures above 25 degrees helped the buds bloom.

Cherry trees in Tokyo are expected to be in full bloom in a week to 10 days.

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