The mercury in Tokyo hit a March record 28.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday afternoon, with the weather giving a boost to those seeking to enjoy the cherry blossoms in parks around the capital.
The Meteorological Agency said that the high had been marked at around 1:30 p.m in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, besting the previous record of 25.3 C set in 2013. The temperature was the highest since records began in 1876.
Yokohama also recorded its highest temperature for March on Sunday afternoon, hitting 26.9 C, while a broad swath of the Kanto region also saw records fall, including in Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures.
Last year, the first “summer-type day” in central Tokyo was on March 24, when a maximum temperature of 25 C was observed.
Cherry blossoms in the capital finally burst into bloom on Friday, marking the latest blooming in over a decade. The determination, made by the Meteorological Agency, came 15 days later than last year and five days later than in an average year.
Friday’s blooming is the latest in Tokyo since 2012, when cherry blossoms were declared to have blossomed on March 31, according to the agency.
While the cherry blossoms have only just begun to bloom, people were already flocking to parks in the Kanto region to enjoy the warm weather and hanami (cherry blossom-viewing) parties, a major seasonal event in Japan.