SAKURA SEASON: Cherry blossoms come out early in central Tokyo
March 17, 2013
Unseasonably warm weather is waking up the cherry blossoms
in central Tokyo
about 10 days earlier than usual, promising a colorful week ahead.
On March 16, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that
cherry blossoms were starting to bloom in central parts of the capital. On that
day, many people visited Ueno
Park in Taito Ward to see
the first cherry blossoms of the season in bloom, a harbinger of the
spectacular viewing spectacle to come.
Blue skies spread in many parts of eastern and western Japan on March
16. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the temperatures rose to 11.0
degrees in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, and 11.5 degrees in Nishi-Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture, both the highest in those
municipalities this spring.
In the Kanto region, temperatures reached 21.9 degrees in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, and 19.6 degrees in Hitachi,
Ibaraki Prefecture, about the average highs from
early April to mid-May.
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201303170019