While Yoneko Yoshida, anxiously awaits the arrival of spring, she is also bracing herself for discomfort. As a victim of hay fever, the 62-year-old Tokyo woman suffers from a scratchy throat, itchy, watery eyes and a persistently runny nose for several weeks each year from February till April.
But the year so far has been different, Yoshida said. "Since I am really sensitive, I usually begin to feel bad by early February. But this year, other than a a minor itch in my throat, I am OK right now." Yoshida is among many spring allergy sufferers in the Kanto region who say their discomfort so far this year has been much milder thanks to last year's rains, which thwarted the reproduction efforts of flowers.
Sufferers of hay fever, or seasonal allergic rhinitis, are allergic to seasonal airborne pollen. Pollen from "sugi," or Japanese cedar, and "hinoki," Japanese cypress, are the most likely culprits for springtime allergies. About 15 percent of the Kanto region is covered by the two trees.