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The Yomiuri Shimbun People enjoy cherry blossoms while picnicking at Ueno Park in Taito Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday.
Jiji Press
17:36 JST, April 3, 2024
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — People in Japan plan to spend the highest amount this year on cherry blossom-viewing outings in the past six years, a survey by private meteorological company Weathernews Inc. has shown.
The average budget for this blossom-viewing season came to ¥2,831 , the highest since the survey began under the current format six years ago. The figure grew by ¥301 from last year and exceeded the pre-pandemic 2019 average by ¥103 .
The survey was conducted between Feb. 24 and March 3 through a smartphone app. Respondents were asked to select their cherry blossom-viewing budgets from between zero yen and ¥10,000 in 500-yen increments, and the calculated average excluded those who said they will spend zero yen.
The average budget was the highest in Yamanashi Prefecture at ¥3,688 , followed by Tokushima and Okayama prefectures at ¥3,684 and ¥3,410, respectively. Last year’s top-spending prefecture, Akita Prefecture, was sixth at ¥3,282 .
The survey showed that 52% of respondents said they will go view cherry blossoms, and that more people plan to go on blossom-viewing trips than last year. Weathernews believes that the average budget was pushed up by transportation costs for such trips in addition to food and drink expenses.
The survey also asked cherry blossom spots that people want to visit. Hirosaki Park in Aomori Prefecture, topped the rankings of such locations, while Mount Yoshino in Nara Prefecture, Miharu Takizakura in Fukushima Prefecture and Goryokaku Park in Hokkaido were also popular.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, cherry blossoms started blooming in 39 of 47 prefectures by Tuesday evening. Cherry trees in the Kyushu region and other parts of Japan are in full bloom.
