Trees in Tokyo will be in full bloom in about a week's time, turning parks into huge picnic areas where friends, family and colleagues gather for sometimes raucous, alcohol-fuelled celebrations.
Tokyo (AFP) - Spring officially arrived in Tokyo on Saturday as Japan's weather agency declared the start of the cherry blossom season, prompting viewers to party under the trees with cherry-related items flooding the capital.
Forecasters watching trees at Yasukuni Shrine said the city's first blossoms had appeared, marking the beginning of two weeks in which Tokyo's parks, temple grounds, schools and streets will explode in pinks and whites.
