The cherry blossom season officially begins in the Land of the Rising Sun.

On March 16th, the Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms—Japan's most popular variety—began to bloom in Gifu and Kochi cities, marking the official start of cherry blossom season in the Land of the Rising Sun.

This year's flowering season arrived several days earlier than last year due to sunny weather and relatively high temperatures across a wide area from Tokai to Okinawa.

According to a VNA correspondent in Japan, at least six Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms have bloomed in Gifu city, Gifu prefecture, qualifying Gifu as one of the first cities in Japan to enter the main cherry blossom season.

This is the earliest cherry blossom season in Gifu City since data collection began in 1953, nine days earlier than last year and equaling the records of 1989, 2021, and 2023.

Regarding the reason for the early blooming of the flowers, Akari Hayashi, a technician at the Gifu City Meteorological Station, said that the high average temperature in February was the main cause.

On the same day, March 16th, the Kochi City Meteorological Agency in Kochi Prefecture confirmed that all six cherry blossoms had bloomed, seven days earlier than last year and six days earlier than the average for previous years. Thus, along with Gifu, Kochi is the city with the earliest cherry blossom bloom in the country for the third consecutive year.

According to researcher Shinobu Imoto, who works at the Kochi City Meteorological Station, from November 2025 to January of this year, temperatures here will remain at levels similar to the multi-year average, and rainfall will be low.

This means the plant system is less affected by cold air pressure systems and has more hours of sunshine. This allows the cherry trees to "break out of dormancy," resulting in earlier blooming compared to other areas in Japan.

Cherry blossoms in Gifu and Kochi cities are expected to be in full bloom within the next week.