Flash news! The Japan Meteorological Agency confirmed at around 10 a.m. on Wednesday that five buds had started to blossom from a cherry tree at an agency observatory in the city of Nagasaki. The bloom was four days earlier than usual but three days later than last year.
Kumamoto will not be far behind. Below is an image taken at 8:30 this morning in Oe, Chuo-ku of a single blossom surrounded by buds waiting to explode like popcorn.
Weather should be mostly sunny this weekend and 15°C. Hint: the area halfway up Tatsudayama just behind Kumadai has numerous cherry trees, a flat, grassy park for picnicking, and a gorgeous vista of the city. Let’s get it on. - William