After several days of cooler than average temperatures in the last seven days, today's warm weather provided the much needed heat for the buds to open.Tokyo andKyoto both announced the opening of their first blossoms (kaika) today, and other cities that also announced kaika includeKagoshima,Takamatsu, Saga,Shimonoseki,Tottori andKofu. The warm temperatures forecast for the next four days are also likely to create a flurry of kaika announcements for the remaining cities in western Japan and eastern Japan, not including theTohoku region, over the next few days. The cities that already have open blossoms are also expected to reach theirbest viewing period by the first half of next week.

I visitedKumamoto, where the opening of their first blossoms was announced on March 26, and observed that while only about 25 percent of the blossoms were open today, many of the closed buds were on the brink of opening. I expect the best viewing to start from Sunday and continue through the first week of April.

I started my day atSuizenji Garden, a nice Japanese landscapegarden inKumamoto. A small grove of cherry trees can be found in the eastern end of the garden, and I found that about 40 percent of theSomei Yoshino blossoms were open there. I expect the best viewing period at Suizenji Garden to start from Sunday and continue through the first week of April.

My next and last stop wasKumamoto Castle, one of the icons and symbols ofKumamoto. The castle suffered major damage during a big earthquake in 2016, and the on-going repair works on the castle grounds are expected to be completed around 2038. There are about 500 cherry trees on the sprawling castle grounds, and the Ninomaru lawns, from where the keep can be seen, are especially popular for picnicking. I found that the cherry blossoms were still under the halfway mark to full bloom, but the warm temperatures today and over the next few days should encourage the closed buds to open. I expect the best viewing in Kumamoto to start from Sunday and continue through the first week of April.

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