Predicting the sakura season

Seasonal spectacle: Visitors rowing boats past cherry blossom trees in bloom at Chidorigafuchi moat at night in Tokyo. — Bloomberg

Tokyo: As spring approaches in Japan, the country’s weather forecasters face one of their biggest missions of the year: predicting exactly when the famed cherry blossoms will bloom.

Japan’s sakura or cherry blossom season is feverishly anticipated by locals and visitors alike. Many tourists plan their entire trips around the blooms, and Japanese flock to parks in their millions to enjoy the seasonal spectacle.