The Kawazu cherry blossoms, which are known for their early blooming, have also become famous, and are broadcast on TV every day.  It seems that many people are visiting the local Kawazu town to see the cherry blossoms even on weekdays after being released from the corona wreck.  Even in Tokyo, Kawazu cherry blossoms have been featured as a popular spot, and Yoyogi Park’s Kawazu cherry blossoms were shown in NHK’s weather forecast this morning.  It’s plum season nationwide, but it doesn’t seem to rival the popularity of cherry blossoms.  Japan Meteorological Co., Ltd., which has announced cherry blossom bloom and full bloom forecasts, has already issued its fourth forecast.  Plum, peach, cherry blossoms, and the order of flowers heralding the arrival of spring are all messed up.  I don’t know if climate change is the cause, or information confusion due to the information society, but in any case, we are changing to an era where we cannot make decisions based on conventional rules and concepts.

早咲きで知られる河津桜もすっかり有名になり、テレビでも連日放映されています。コロナ禍から解き放たれて、地元の河津町には平日にも沢山の花見客が訪れているそうです。東京でも河津桜の人気スポットが取り上げられるほどで、今朝もNHKの天気予報でも代々木公園の河津桜が映し出されていました。全国的には今は梅のシーズンですが、桜の人気には敵わない様です。桜の開花・満開予想を発表している日本気象株式会社でも、すでに第4回目の予報を出しています。梅、桃、桜と春を告げれる花の序列もすっかり入り乱れてしまいました。気候変動が原因なのか、情報化社会による情報の混乱が原因なのか分かりませんが、ともかく今までの規定概念では判断できない時代に変わりつつあります。