Japanese Imperial Palace open to public ahead of the cherry season

In Japan, Inui street within the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo had been opened to the public ahead of the cherry blossom season. It was known that about 500 people including foreign tourists entered the palace after the Sakashita-mon Gate opened on Saturday.

The Imperial Household Agency said that the Somei-yoshino cherry variety was at 10 to 30 percent of its full bloom as of Friday, while the early-blooming Edohigan and Koshinohigan varieties were at 50 to 70 percent. The agency expected the blossoms to reach their peak around the middle of next week.