Cherry Blossoms Start Blooming in Tokyo, Fukuoka

Tokyo, March 21 (Jiji Press)--The Japan Meteorological Agency declared on Thursday the start of cherry blossom blooming in Tokyo and the southwestern city of Fukuoka. Checking a sample Somei-Yoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in the capital's Chiyoda Ward past 10 a.m. (1 a.m. GMT), an agency official said blooming of more than five flowers was observed. The Somei-Yoshino blooming season arrived in Tokyo five days earlier than usual and four days later than the previous year, the official told reporters. In Fukuoka the same day, a local agency office said it saw blossoms blooming from its sample tree of the same cherry variety. The flowering came two days earlier than usual and two days later than last spring, it noted. The first blooming of Somei-Yoshino blossoms in the country this spring was confirmed in Nagasaki, another southwestern city, on Wednesday. END