In Japan, cherry trees are a national treasure. No other country is more associated with these trees of the Rosaceae family than the Land of the Rising Sun; and no other country studies their flowers more. With global warming, the average date of full bloom of sakura has increased by 1.2 days per decade in the Japanese archipelago since the 1950s, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (WAN).
2023 has so far been a “record” year for precocity, since data shows full flowering on March 26 in Kyoto (Kansai region). Although we do not yet know the precise date of this peak for the current year, it seems conducive to even earlier flowering – the AMJ predicts it for March 24 on its site Tenki.jp, dedicated to forecasting the flowering of the best-known tree of the archipelago.
