National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Photo: Japan's Cherry Trees Bloom in Fall; Warming to Blame?


Email to a Friend	<< Back to Full Story

A woman admires cherry blossoms at Chidorigafuchi, a moat at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan, on March 30, 2007. The landmark is one of Japan's most popular viewing spots for cherry blossoms, a national symbol of spring.

But increasingly early blossoms—including trees across Japan that bloomed in fall this year—have experts worried about the impacts of climate change on one of Japan's most famous cultural icons.

Photograph by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images