Cherry Blossom Season Opens in Tokyo

A whole host of junior members of companies will be dusting off tarpaulins and thinking of ways to cure boredom as Japanese authorities on Saturday declared the cherry blossom season open in Tokyo, with the blooming date getting earlier due to what some experts say is the effect of global warming.

A meteorological agency official confirmed that more than 10 buds on a designated Somei-Yoshino cherry tree planted in the grounds of Yasukuni shrine, central Tokyo, came into bloom on Saturday morning.

It is often the unenviable duty of new recruits in Japanese companies to get up early and secure decent spots in parks for their senior colleagues. The unfortunate chosen ones have to sit on the tarpaulins for hours on end, waiting for their workmates to roll up and get drunk. Still, it probably beats a day in the office.