Spring has sprung in Japan.

The cherry trees are in full bloom in Tokyo, and thousands of visitors are flocking to parks to enjoy the spectacle.

The importance of the cherry blossom season cannot be overstated.

The delicate pink and white flowers are widely celebrated in Japanese literature, poetry and art, and there is even a word for viewing the blossoms - hanami.

The height of the season changes slightly every year, depending on the weather. To make sure no one misses the display, there are websites dedicated to forecasting its arrival. The websites predict the opening of the blossoms, as well as the time of full bloom.

This year's full bloom in Tokyo is expected to continue until April 1. After that, the flowers will begin to die away.

Further north, the trees bloom later. In Sapporo, the height of the season isn’t expected until the end of April.