Pollen levels from cedar and cypress trees this year are expected to drop sharply from 2003, a pollen information association said Thursday.

Experts have said that allergy and hay fever sufferers can thank last year's cooler than usual summer. They have also predicted that the dispersal of pollen will end sooner than usual this year.

The Japan Weather Association and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said the volume of pollen per square meter on April 1 in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward was 348.9, compared with 2,955.7 in the same period a year earlier. The record low is 277, set in 1994.

This year, the pollen count is down in most areas. Exceptions include southern Kyushu.