DC’s Cherry Blossoms Reach Stage 5: Puffy White Blossom/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The iconic cherry blossoms are continuing their journey toward peak bloom, officially reaching stage 5, or puffy white blossoms, March 23, 2025, according to the National Park Service. The blooming process began with stage 1 on March 11, followed by stage 2 on March 16, and quickly progressed to stage 3 by March 19, and stage 4 coming just a day later on March 20. Stage 5’s puffy white blossom is the final stage before peak bloom arrives. Japan officially welcomed cherry blossom season as blooms appeared in Tokyo. The Japan Meteorological Agency confirmed the flowering at Yasukuni Shrine. This year’s blooming arrived five days earlier than in 2024, amid unusually warm temperatures.
Cherry Blossom Season Quick Looks
- Japan’s Meteorological Agency confirmed first Tokyo cherry blossoms Monday.
- Official bloom observed at Yasukuni Shrine’s specimen Somei Yoshino tree.
- This year’s bloom matches the average but is five days earlier than 2024.
- Cherry blossoms hold deep cultural symbolism tied to impermanence and renewal.
- The sakura season coincides with Japan’s school and business year kickoff.
- Tokyo experienced warmer-than-normal 19°C (66°F) temperatures during bloom.
- Kochi in Shikoku saw the nation’s first blossom the day prior.
- JMA tracks over 50 benchmark trees for seasonal data across Japan.
- Blossoms last around two weeks from bloom to petal fall.
- Earlier blooms in recent years raise climate change concerns.
DC’s Cherry Blossoms Reach Stage 5: Puffy White Blossom
Deep Look
Cherry blossom season has begun blooming in Washington, D.C. as cherry trees reach just one step away from peak bloom. The National Park Service, on Sunday, announced the capital’s famed cherry trees have reached “stage 5 – Puffy White” with blossom starting to show.
“Now we’re just waiting on them to open,” NPS said in a post on X. “Peak Bloom is next!”
D.C.’s famed blossoms, a gift of Japan in 1912, “signal Washington’s beginning of spring with an explosion of life and color that surrounds the Tidal Basin in a sea of pale pink and white blossoms,” NPS says. The tradition of celebrating the cherry blossoms, the national flower of Japan, also originated there, with the tradition of hanami, which translates to flower looking, during which people flock to parks and gardens to admire these beautiful and fragile flowers.
Japan officially ushered in the cherry blossom season on Monday, as Tokyo’s first blossoms were confirmed on a specimen tree at the Yasukuni Shrine by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The declaration, eagerly awaited nationwide, marks the beginning of the country’s most iconic and widely celebrated natural event.
The JMA reported that more than five blossoms—a minimum threshold for official confirmation—had opened on the shrine’s Somei Yoshino tree, the most widely planted and symbolic variety of cherry blossom in Japan. The timing of the bloom aligns with the historical average but arrives five days earlier than in 2024, reflecting Tokyo’s recent stretch of unseasonably warm weather, with temperatures around 19°C (66°F).
Cherry blossoms, or “sakura,” are revered in Japan not only for their beauty but for their cultural significance. Often associated with the fleeting nature of life, they symbolize transience, renewal, and the cyclical nature of existence—central themes in Japanese poetry, literature, and philosophy. Each year, the sakura season attracts millions of residents and tourists alike who partake in hanami—the tradition of viewing and picnicking under the blossoming trees.
The blooming also coincides with major life transitions in Japan, including the start of the new school year and the beginning of the fiscal and business calendar, further amplifying the season’s cultural resonance.
This year’s announcement came just a day after Kochi, located in the southwestern region of Shikoku, reported the nation’s first cherry blossoms. The JMA monitors more than 50 “benchmark” cherry trees across the country to track blooming trends, which typically last about two weeks from the first bud to the final falling petal.
However, in recent years, the timing of cherry blossom blooming has shifted earlier, a change some scientists and environmentalists believe is linked to climate change. The sensitivity of cherry blossoms to temperature changes makes them an important natural indicator of climate trends.
As Tokyo’s sakura begin to unfold in parks and public spaces, residents and visitors are expected to gather in large numbers to celebrate the season. Despite the celebration, the early bloom is once again prompting reflection on environmental shifts and their broader implications for Japan’s seasonal rhythms.
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