TOKYO, JAPAN (NCC News) – In many parts of Japan, the country’s famous cherry blossoms have bloomed in many places across the nation at the earliest time in nearly 70 years of record keeping. Some experts say the blossoms are blooming earlier and earlier each year due to climate change.
Cherry trees are very sensitive to temperature changes and the timing of their blooming can be valuable to determining if and how climate change affects cherry blossoms, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The agency is tracking 58 cherry trees across the country. Of those 58 trees, 40 trees have already reached peak bloom with 14 reaching peak bloom in record time.
In the ancient capital of Kyoto, peak bloom was reached on Mar. 26, the earliest since recordkeeping began in 1953 and 10 days ahead of the 30-year average. Based on records from historic documents, diaries and poetry books from Kyoto, some say it is the earliest peak bloom ever. Osaka Prefecture University environmental scientist Yasuyuki Aono said the earliest blooms he found before this year were on Mar. 27 in 1236, 1409 and 1612, though there are not records for some years.
According to data from the Japan Meteorological Agency, the average temperature in March in Kyoto has risen by two full degrees Celsius from 8.6 C (47.5 F) in 1953 to 10.6 C (51.1 F) in 2020. The average temperature in Kyoto this March has been even higher than 2020 so far. The average temperature so far is close to two degrees higher than 2020, measured at 12.4 C (54.3 F).
Japan’s favorite cherry blossom and flower, called “Sakura,” has had a significant influence on Japanese culture for centuries. The flower is regularly used in poetry and literature because the fragility of the Sakura is seen as a symbol of life, death and rebirth.
