Japan officially declares cherry blossom season on March 16, with Kochi and Gifu reporting the earliest blooms nationwide.

Bloom was detected when benchmark trees bore more than five flowers, with Kochi blooming six days earlier and Gifu and Yamanashi nine days earlier than the national average.

The bloom arrived six days before the seasonal average and seven days before last year, marking the third consecutive year of the earliest blooms in Japan.

Overtourism concerns are rising near popular hanami spots, including littering and noise from visitors.

Hanami seasons continue to draw crowds, but littering, noise and related overtourism issues have grown near viewing sites.

In recent years, overtourism around cherry-blossom viewing spots has raised worries about litter and noise.

Forecasts predict temperatures near or above average, with full bloom expected about a week after the initial bloom.

Temperature trends point to near- or above-average warmth, placing full bloom roughly a week from the first blooms.

A local student, Koyumi Hamada, expressed excitement about cherry-blossom viewing with friends, reflecting public interest in the season.

Officials cite favorable conditions—low winter rainfall and longer sunshine hours—as contributing to the early bloom in Kochi.

Kochi meteorological officials and Shinobu Imoto attribute the early bloom to low winter rainfall and extended sunshine.

Low rainfall and longer sunshine hours during winter are cited as factors behind the early bloom.