Japan's cherry blossoms witness earliest peak in 1,200 years amid global warming

Japan’s famous cherry blossom season in Kyoto city has reached its peak early this year, the earliest since historical records began 1,200 years ago. The season reached its peak on March 26, which is also a record since Japan Meteorological Agency started collecting the data in 1953. According to the BBC, Kyoto started recording data of cherry blossom season in 812 AD and this year is the first time when the season has peaked so early. The last early bloom occurred in the 1,400s when the season reached the full flowering date on March 27, shows phenological data analyzed by researchers. 

Cherry blossoms peak early

The data was collected and analyzed by Yasuyuki Aono, a researcher at Osaka University. Yasuyuki searched and collected phenological data from various historical records, including “diaries and chronicles” written by Emperors, aristocrats, governors, and monks between the 9th and 14th centuries. Researchers analyzed the data and found that the cherry blossom season reached its peak early in 2021. The data suggests that the season historically peaks in mid-April. 

“I have searched and collected the phenological data for the full flowering date of the cherry tree (Prunus jamasakura) from many diaries and chronicles written by Emperors, aristocrats, governors, and monks at Kyoto in historical time. The dates, on which cherry blossom viewing parties had been held or full flowerings had been observed, were collected from old documents,” Yasuyuki wrote in his paper. 

The cherry blossom season, which is known as “sakura” in the Japanese language, is celebrated widely in Japan and marks the beginning of the school year and businesses. However, due to early bloom this year, school children might again have to restart classes without the blossoms. Many experts believe that the timing of blooming can provide important data on climate change studies in general and also give an insight into their effect on cherry trees. 

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