Japan famous cherry blossoms bloomed early this year after 1200 years

Japan's famous cherry blossom season peaked very early, a phenomenon that occurred more than 1,200 years later.

The famous Japanese flower is known as sakura usually reaches its flowering stage in mid-April. However, this year, the flowers bloomed much earlier, making history. The reason for this phenomenon is climate change. The peak of flowering was reportedly recorded on March 26 in Kyoto. According to experts, the leaves of these trees secrete a hormone that prevents the flowers from blooming. The secretion of this hormone stops when the weather turns warm, after which the flowers are in full bloom. This year, due to warming and climate change, the flowers bloom earlier because the hormone has stopped secreting.



The shift to early flowering has been the fastest in the last 100 to 150 years. In 1850, the average flowering date was around April 17, while now it is closer to April 5.

Cherry blossoms are of great importance in Japanese culture and tourism. During the spring, people in Japan organize picnic parties to see the hanami or flower viewing. Hanami has a long history, starting from the Nara period (710-794) with scenes of plum blossom. The fragrance of the plum blossom indicates the arrival of spring and played an important role in the courtly cultures of the Heian period (794-1185).

This year, due to the renewed spread of the Coronavirus, the Japanese government issued warnings against its residents to avoid Hanami parties.

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