Meet Yasuyuki Aono: Japanese scientist who kept a 1,200-year cherry blossom record alive until his death

The Guardian view on Japan’s cherry blossom: when spring slips out of time

A 1,200-year dataset shows the ‘peak bloom’ is arriving earlier. Global heating is unsettling nature’s rhythms – and their cultural meaningA picture posted on social media last April by Prof Yasuyuki Aono of a spreadsheet, with its blank row for 2026, carries a quiet poignancy. Prof Aono died before he got to fill in this year’s entry for when the cherry blossom fully bloomed in Kyoto. The academic had spent decades reconstructing dates of flowe…

Meet Yasuyuki Aono: Japanese scientist who kept a 1,200-year cherry blossom record alive until his death

Professor Yasuyuki Aono meticulously tracked Kyoto's cherry blossom bloom dates for over a millennium, revealing a significant shift towards earlier flowering. His lifelong dedication, documented in ancient scripts, created a unique historical record. Following his passing, a new researcher has stepped forward to continue this vital, centuries-long observation of climate change.