The weather bureau is in charge of declaring the start of cherry blossom season, an annual rite of spring that lasts only a few days and sends the entire country out picnicking and drinking beneath the flowering pale pink trees.

The Japan Meteorological Agency declared the official opening of the season in Tokyo on Saturday, six days earlier than average and one day sooner than it had last forecast, telling the nation that spring has come.

In the lead up to the announcement an expert team headed by Tomomi Kurita carefully observed a Somei-Yoshino cherry tree twice a day, morning and afternoon, so as not to miss the crucial, defining moment.

“We announce the official opening of cherry flowers in Tokyo once confirming that five or six flowers are open on the sample tree,” Kurita told AFP. “It has to be no fewer than five or six because that is how it’s decided.

“The branches on the sample tree have grown widely on the sides, so we use a pair of binoculars to take the utmost care not to miss any bud opening or mistake a pigeon feather for a flower,” he said.

The sample tree — as well as another tree designated as a substitute should something happen to the first — are at the Yasukuni shrine in central Tokyo. The shrine venerates millions of war dead and is highly controversial, with many viewing it as a symbol of militarism.

But in spring, the shrine takes on another role — as prime location for viewing the explosion of cherry blossoms.

Millions of Japanese each year enjoy the age-old ritual of sitting in groups beneath the trees to bask in the short-lived beauty of the cherry blossoms, which for centuries have inspired poets and artists.

Families, students and colleagues converge under the clouds of falling white and pink petals to eat and drink — often to excess — and sing and dance. Magazines publish special editions on the best places for cherry blossom viewing parties.

The season is so cherished by Japanese that cherry blossom forecasts are a top story for national media.

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