Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Pedestrians stand on a bridge covered by cherry blossoms in Tokyo on March 24, 2021. Kazuhiro Nogi, AFP/File

Article (news)

Cherry

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/174416731924620210324-cherry-blossoms-japan-afp.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Pedestrians stand on a bridge covered by cherry blossoms in Tokyo on March 24, 2021. Kazuhiro Nogi, AFP/File</span></span></span>TOKYO, Japan — Japan&#x27;s famed cherry trees are getting old, but a new AI tool that assesses photos of the delicate pink and white flowers could help preserve them for future generations. </div><p>The &quot;sakura&quot; season is feverishly anticipated by locals and visitors alike, with the profusion of the stunning blossoms marking the start of spring.</p><p>But many of the trees are reaching 70 to 80 years old, well beyond their prime blooming age.</p><p>This means increasing costs to tend to the trees and maintain popular flowering spots.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/life/02/11/19/the-art-and-science-of-japans-cherry-blossom-forecast">The art and science of Japan&#x27;s cherry blossom forecast</a></div><p>To help authorities identify ailing specimens, brewing giant Kirin developed a tool called Sakura AI Camera.</p><p>It tells users the condition and the age of the trees based on photos they take with their smartphones and upload them to a website.</p><p>A five-point scale -- only available in Japanese for now -- ranges from &quot;very healthy&quot; to &quot;worrying&quot;.</p><p>A tree with healthy flowers blooming densely all the way to the tips of the branches gets top marks.</p><p>The artificial intelligence tool has been trained using 5,000 images of cherry trees with the help of experts.</p><p>The photos are then mapped on the Sakura AI Camera website with details such as tree condition and location.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/life/04/28/19/benguets-cherry-blossoms-start-to-bloom">Benguet&#x27;s cherry blossoms start to bloom</a></div><p>&quot;We heard that the preservation of sakura requires manpower and money and that it&#x27;s difficult to gather information,&quot; Risa Shioda from Kirin told AFP.</p><p>&quot;I think we can contribute by making it easier to plan for conservation,&quot; she said.</p><p>About 20,000 photos have been collected since the launch last month, with the data available online for free for local authorities.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>WORTH A MILLION </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>According to Tokyo&#x27;s Meguro Ward, famous for its riverbanks lined with cherry trees, replanting a new one costs around one million yen ($6,800).</p><p>Hiroyuki Wada of the Japan Tree Doctors Association, who inspects cherry trees in major spots in Tokyo, helped supervise the AI tool.</p><p>He said he hopes that it will help experts study the environmental reasons behind the degradation of some of the trees he sees.</p><p>In part, he blames climate change.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m very worried. Changes in the environment are usually gradual, but now it&#x27;s visible,&quot; he told AFP.</p><p>&quot;There are impacts from the heat, and of course the lack of rainfall,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;The age of the trees naturally makes the situation more serious,&quot; he added.</p><p>Japan&#x27;s weather agency said in January that last year was the hottest since records began, like other nations.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/overseas/03/26/21/sakura-selfies-tokyo-enjoys-cherry-blossoms-despite-virus-warning">Sakura selfies: Tokyo enjoys cherry blossoms despite virus warning</a></div><p>Kirin began donating some of its profits for the preservation of cherry trees last year, as a way to &quot;pay back&quot; to the communities.</p><p>Alcohol, especially beer, is one of the drinks enjoyed at &quot;hanami&quot; flower-viewing parties beneath the trees, Shioda said.</p><p>Cherry blossoms symbolize the fragility of life in Japanese culture as full blooms only last about a week before the petals start falling off trees.</p><p>The season is also considered one of change as it marks the start of the new business year, with many university graduates starting their first full-time jobs and older colleagues shifting to new positions.</p><div><strong>— By Natsuko Fukue, Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/36RsDfqVy3w?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Many of the cherry trees are reaching 70 to 80 years old, well beyond their prime blooming age.</p>

Many of the cherry trees are reaching 70 to 80 years old, well beyond their prime blooming age.

AI tool aims to help conserve Japan's cherry trees

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AI tool aims to help conserve Japan's cherry trees

Agence France-Presse

Published April 09, 2025 11:05 AM PHT

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