Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms blooming in Fukuoka; earliest in Japan this year

FUKUOKA -- Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms started blooming in this southwestern Japan city on March 17, the Fukuoka District Meteorological Observatory announced the same day.

The flowering is the earliest of any region in Japan this year, five days earlier than in an average year and five days later than in 2021. The blossoms are expected to be in full bloom in about seven to 10 days.

According to a March 17 Japan Weather Association forecast, cherry blossoms are expected to start flowering in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on March 20 and in the city of Osaka on March 23. The dates are four days earlier than in an average year, as daily maximum temperatures topped 20 degrees Celsius over the last several days in wide areas of Japan, from Kyushu in the southwest to the Kanto region around Tokyo.

(Japanese original by Masashi Yomogida, Kyushu News Department)