Cherry trees reached full bloom in central Tokyo on Sunday, a day earlier than normal but two days later than last year, the Meteorological Agency said.
The weather agency said about 80 percent of the ubiquitous someiyoshino variety cherry trees at Yasukuni Shrine in central Tokyo were in bloom Sunday morning.
The cherry blossoms' spectacular arrival had been delayed due to a cold snap in mid- to late March but will be at their best this week. The trees will come into full bloom in wide areas of eastern and western Japan, according to a forecast by commercial weather services.
In northern Japan, flowering will begin in early April in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures while other northeastern prefectures will have to wait until mid-April. Cherry trees in Hokkaido will bloom between late April and early May, according to the forecast.
