OK, technically, I’m sure these weren’t the absolute first ornamental cherry blooms of the year, but “if you haven’t seen it, it’s new to you” as the saying goes, and these were the first sakura I’ve seen in 2022:
I took these pictures on the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, a Shintō shrine in Kamakura, last weekend. The weather wasn’t the lovely “blue skies and pink blossoms” type that’s generally preferred for hanami (cherry blossom viewing), but the blossoms were pretty–and getting lots of attention from visitors (human and otherwise).
The blossoms are just starting to appear in Meguro, and elsewhere in Tokyo, but spring is definitely here!