The Japan Meteorological Agency announced on March 16 that Somei-Yoshino cherry blossoms have bloomed in Gifu and Kochi, officially kicking off the cherry blossom season in the country.

This marks the third consecutive year for Kochi and the first time in 31 years for Gifu to be the first in the nation to report cherry blossom blooming.

The Gifu Meteorological Observatory was able to confirm five or more flowers had opened on the standard reference tree.

The blooming is nine days earlier than average and the earliest on record.

In Kochi Prefecture, the flowers bloomed 6 days earlier than average, marking the third consecutive year that the region became the first in Japan to report cherry blossoms blooming. 

More of Japan’s iconic flowers are expected to bloom across Japan this week.

In Tokyo, the season is expected to start on March 18, according to Weathernews.