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  • Visitors gather for flower viewing at Shinjuku Gyoen national garden...

    Koji Sasahara / AP

    Visitors gather for flower viewing at Shinjuku Gyoen national garden in Tokyo, as cherry blossom flowers are at full bloom Monday, March 26, 2018.

  • A woman walks through cherry-blossom trees at Chidorigafuchi in Tokyo,...

    Shizuo Kambayashi / AP

    A woman walks through cherry-blossom trees at Chidorigafuchi in Tokyo, Monday, March 26, 2018.

  • Visitors enjoy the cherry-blossom viewing at a park in Tokyo,...

    Koji Sasahara / AP

    Visitors enjoy the cherry-blossom viewing at a park in Tokyo, Monday, March 26, 2018. Cherry blossom flowers are at full bloom in Tokyo, Japan as it warms up for the spring season.

  • A woman takes a picture of the cherry blossom at...

    Koji Sasahara / AP

    A woman takes a picture of the cherry blossom at full bloom at Shinjuku Gyoen national garden in Tokyo, Monday, March 26, 2018. These flowers only last about a week but people are flocking to hot spots throughout Japan to enjoy the scenic sights.

  • A woman takes a picture of the cherry blossom at...

    Shizuo Kambayashi / AP

    A woman takes a picture of the cherry blossom at Chidorigafuchi in Tokyo, Monday, March 26, 2018.

  • Visitors enjoy the cherry-blossom viewing at Shinjuku Gyoen national garden...

    Koji Sasahara / AP

    Visitors enjoy the cherry-blossom viewing at Shinjuku Gyoen national garden in Tokyo, Monday, March 26, 2018. At the garden, people laid down picnic sheets to enjoy "hanami," which is a Japanese custom of flower viewing.

  • Visitors gather for flower viewing at Shinjuku Gyoen national garden...

    Koji Sasahara / AP

    Visitors gather for flower viewing at Shinjuku Gyoen national garden in Tokyo, as cherry blossom flowers are at full bloom Monday, March 26, 2018.

  • Cherry blossom flowers are reflected on a pond at Shinjuku...

    Koji Sasahara / AP

    Cherry blossom flowers are reflected on a pond at Shinjuku Gyoen national garden in Tokyo, Monday, March 26, 2018.

  • Visitors enjoy the cherry-blossom viewing at Shinjuku Gyoen national garden...

    Koji Sasahara / AP

    Visitors enjoy the cherry-blossom viewing at Shinjuku Gyoen national garden in Tokyo, Monday, March 26, 2018.

  • A family takes a picture of cherry blossom flowers at...

    Shizuo Kambayashi / AP

    A family takes a picture of cherry blossom flowers at full bloom at Chidorigafuchi in Tokyo, Monday, March 26, 2018.

  • Visitors on boats enjoy Someiyoshino cherry blossoms at Chitorigafuchi Imperial...

    Shizuo Kambayashi / AP

    Visitors on boats enjoy Someiyoshino cherry blossoms at Chitorigafuchi Imperial Palace moat in Tokyo, Monday, March 26, 2018.

  • Visitors on boat enjoy Someiyoshino cherry blossoms at Chitorigafuchi in...

    Shizuo Kambayashi / AP

    Visitors on boat enjoy Someiyoshino cherry blossoms at Chitorigafuchi in Tokyo, Monday, March 26, 2018.

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TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s famous cherry blossoms have reached full bloom in Tokyo as spring-like weather descends on the nation’s capital.
Crowds flocked Monday to popular spots in much of Japan to enjoy the sea of delicate pink and white blooms.
Some laid down picnic sheets at Shinjuku Gyoen, a former imperial garden in the heart of Tokyo, to enjoy “hanami,” the custom of blossom viewing. Eating and drinking under the trees is a popular pastime.
People young and old strolled beneath a canopy of cherry blossoms on a walkway along the Meguro River, also in central Tokyo. Some stopped to take selfies or close-ups of the blooms.
“There are of course so many beautiful flowers, but nothing compares to the cherry blossom,” said one, Hiroko Igarashi.
Tourists and Tokyo residents paddled in rowboats in a picturesque moat lined with overhanging cherry trees outside the Imperial Palace.
The blooms in Tokyo are expected to last until the end of this week.