--- description: Japan's famous cherry blossoms might be associated with springtime, but this year, the flowers are also making a rare autumn appearance title: Here's Why Japan's Cherry Trees Are Blossoming in October image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt76fcf63aba18b5e7/69893ce522fb85c05ee26ed2/gettyimages-940942958.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Japan](/tag/japan/) ## Japan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Typhoons Prompt Japan's Beloved Cherry Trees Into a Rare Early Bloom by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 18, 2018 8:56 AM CUT  A couple pose for a photograph under a cherry blossom tree in Kameoka, Japan on April 2, 2018. A couple pose for a photograph under a cherry blossom tree in Kameoka, Japan on April 2, 2018.Carl Court—Getty Images by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 18, 2018 8:56 AM CUT Japan’s famous [cherry blossoms](https://www.afp.com/en/news/826/blooming-early-japans-famed-cherry-blossoms-make-unexpected-appearance-doc-1a31rk1 "undefined") might be associated with springtime and renewal, but this year, the flowers are making a rare second appearance in October after an unusually strong typhoon season, weather forecasters said. More than 300 people in Japan have reported observing the iconic pink and white cherry blossoms in recent weeks, Agence France-Presse reports. Tree expert Hiroyuki Wada [attributed](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181018%5F04/ "undefined") the unseasonable blooming to the recent typhoon season, which saw high winds whip off tree leaves. These leaves usually release a chemical that prevents blooming until spring, Wada told Japanese national broadcaster NHK. The warmer post-typhoon temperatures along with the absence of hormones to inhibit blooming could have triggered the atypical flowers. “This has happened in the past, but I don’t remember seeing something of this scale,” he told NHK. Japan has endured numerous storms and severe weather events this year. [Typhoon Jebi](http://time.com/5385725/japan-evacuation-typhoon-jebi/ "undefined") battered the country’s western coast last month, [killing 11](http://time.com/5386946/japan-typhoon-jebi-death-toll/ "undefined") people and injuring hundreds. The storm followed a [deadly heatwave](http://time.com/5345553/japan-heat-wave-record-temperatures/ "undefined") over the summer that claimed [80 lives,](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-climatechange-heatwave/too-hot-to-handle-expect-more-heat-waves-due-to-climate-change-experts-warn-idUSKBN1KG28B "undefined") while [flooding and landslides](http://time.com/5334127/japan-flood-victims-rescuers-search-dozens-missing/ "undefined") in July killed more than 200 people. **Read more**: [_Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom in Japan: Sakura Photos_](http://time.com/43119/cherry-blossom-sakura-season-japan/ "undefined") Japan’s annual [cherry blossom season](http://time.com/3763649/cherry-blossom-japan-tokyo/ "undefined") is serious business. The blossoms only last about a week, usually in March or April. Tourists rush to picnic and take photos under the fleeting flowers. The timing of the annual flowering has also been documented for centuries in Japan. But scientists both in Japan and in [Washington, D.C](http://time.com/5207183/cherry-blossom-trees-history-fairchild/ "undefined"). have noticed that date [creeping earlier](http://time.com/4698670/cherry-blossoms-climate-washington-japan/ "undefined") in the calendar, as climate change causes early warming. This year, Japan’s season is [forecast](https://www.jnto.go.jp/sakura/eng/city.php?CI=10 "undefined") to begin on March 17, four days ahead of last year. This month’s unseasonable bloom could slightly detract from next spring’s season, as buds that open now won’t flower again next year, according to Wada. “But only a small number \[of flowers\] are being observed. I don’t think it will affect cherry blossom viewing \[next year\],” he told NHK. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5428113/japan-cherry-blossoms-fall/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5428113/japan-cherry-blossoms-fall/"},"headline":"Typhoons Prompt Japan's Beloved Cherry Trees Into a Rare Early Bloom","datePublished":"2018-10-18T08:56:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:46:32.081Z","description":"Weather experts said the unseasonable bloom could be related to typhoon season","url":"https://time.com/5428113/japan-cherry-blossoms-fall/","keywords":["Japan","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt76fcf63aba18b5e7/69893ce522fb85c05ee26ed2/gettyimages-940942958.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eli Meixler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eli/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt76fcf63aba18b5e7/69893ce522fb85c05ee26ed2/gettyimages-940942958.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"People Enjoy Cherry Blossom In Japan","caption":"People Enjoy Cherry Blossom In Japan","creditText":"Carl Court—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/japan/","name":"Japan"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5428113/japan-cherry-blossoms-fall/","name":"Typhoons Prompt Japan's Beloved Cherry Trees Into a Rare Early Bloom"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Japan Tells More Than a Million to Evacuate as the Strongest Typhoon in 25 Years Makes Landfall","description":"Japan announced evacuation warnings affecting more than 1 million people and canceled hundreds of flights Tuesday as Typhoon Jebi, the strongest storm to hit the nation in 25 years, battered the country’s west coast.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/mhDnIoof/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-09-04T10:49:20.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mhDnIoof.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5428113/japan-cherry-blossoms-fall/","duration":"PT1M35S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5428113/japan-cherry-blossoms-fall/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```