The BBC reports

The cherry blossom season, Japan’s traditional sign of spring, has peaked at the earliest date since records began 1,200 years ago, research shows.

The 2021 season in the city of Kyoto peaked on 26 March, according to data collected by Osaka University.

Increasingly early flowerings in recent decades are likely to be as a result of climate change, scientists say.

Read more at Japan’s cherry blossom ‘earliest peak since 812’ – BBC News