The Japan Times says Tokyo is the first city in the nation to see cherry blossoms flower, with the earliest date on record.

Cherry blossoms have flowered in Tokyo, the earliest date on record for the nation’s capital and the first to bloom in the nation this spring, the Meteorological Agency said.

The agency said a Somei-Yoshino cherry tree on the grounds of the Yasukuni Shrine in Chiyoda Ward began blooming last Saturday — 12 days earlier than normal and seven days earlier than last year, apparently due to a warmer winter.

But Tokyo saw snow on Saturday afternoon due to a low-pressure system.

Earlier records

The previous earliest records since records began in 1953 were in 2002 and 2013, when the cherry blossom season started on March 16.

The capital’s cherry blossoms are expected to be in full bloom in a week to 10 days.

This winter, the average temperature in central Tokyo was the third highest on record, at 8 degrees Celsius.