Japan’s annual cherry blossoms are one of the country’s biggest spectacles with travellers flocking to the country to watch the sakura in all their pink glory.
This year, the season is expected to start early – which could mean a change in itineraries for tourists hoping to catch the show.
According to Kansai University, an estimated 63 million people travel to and within the country to see the blossoms every year.
Typically, the season begins in April, but this year it’s set to start around a week earlier, said forecasters at Nihon Kisho. The Japanese weather forecasting company has predicted that cherry blossom season will begin on Thursday, March 19, 2020.
The flowers typically only bloom for a week, so visitors hoping to catch the spectacle may need to review their travel plans.
Forecasters say a warm early spring will lead to the cherry blossoms opening earlier in Tokyo, with the full bloom happening on or around Friday, March 27. That’s seven days earlier than average for the Japanese capital.
Hanami parties
Cherry blossoms aren’t unique to the Asian nation, but perhaps no other country takes the season quite as seriously as the Japanese.
The blooming has been celebrated for centuries and plays an important part in Japanese culture. They’re so significant that the act of viewing them has its own word: “hanami”, and hanami parties are held across the country to coincide with the sakura blooms.
In Hokkaido, typically the last prefecture where the cherry blossoms bloom, forecasters predict this will happen this year in the last week of May.
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2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
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Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Three stars
Don't get fined
The UAE FTA requires following to be kept:
- Records of all supplies and imports of goods and services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
- Alternative documents related to receiving goods or services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
- Alternative documents issued
- Records of goods and services that have been disposed of or used for matters not related to business
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Transmission: Six-speed automatic
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
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