March 5, 2025 is "Keichitsu", one of the 24 solar terms when hibernating insects emerge. On March 4, when it was cold and rainy intermittently, the early-blooming "Shogatsu-zakura" cherry blossoms were in full bloom in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, and white-eyes could be seen perching on the branches.

A Japanese white-eye bird flies from branch to branch in search of nectar (Yodo, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City)

A row of cherry trees planted by a citizen group is lined up around a waterway in the Yodo district of Kyoto City's Fushimi Ward. Among the Kawazu cherry trees, the "Shogatsu Sakura" variety, which grows early, is in full bloom with deep pink flowers. Birds are flying from branch to branch in search of nectar.

A Japanese white-eye bird flies from branch to branch in search of nectar (Yodo, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City)

According to the Kyoto Regional Meteorological Observatory, on March 4th, rain continued due to the influence of a front, and cold air came from the north. The maximum temperature in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City, was 7.5 degrees, nearly 5 degrees colder than average. Rain will continue until the morning of March 5th, but temperatures are expected to return to average levels in the afternoon.

The early-blooming Kawazu cherry blossoms, known as "Shogatsu-zakura," are in full bloom at Yodo, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City.