Japan weathermen predict cherry blossom seasonhome/News/World/Japan weathermen predict cherry blossom seasonTOKYO: 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. “People pay more attention to the cherry blossom season than any other flower in Japan,” Ryo Dojo, an official of the statistics unit at the Japan Meteorological Agency, told AFP. Weathernews employees also call around 700 parks regularly to check the growth of cherry flower buds. Otenki Japan, a forecaster run by a subsidiary of precision-equipment manufacturer Shimadzu, even began using artificial intelligence to predict cherry blossoms in 2018.

Source: Manila Times February 11, 2019 16:18 UTC