See the incredible cherry blossoms blooming across Japan

Japan's picturesque cherry blossom season has finally arrived, with many locals and tourists to the area sharing their snaps of the annual event on social media.

According to the Japan Meteorological Corporation, who forecast the first-bloom dates of cherry blossoms in more than 1000 locations across Japan, the flowers were expected to pop this week in some regions – and, boy, have they delivered.

For locals, the cherry blossom season is known as sukura, and the act of cherry blossom viewing is known as hanami. It's one of the country's most popular annual traditions.

Cherry blossoms typically last for around two weeks once they've fully bloomed, so the time is ripe for tourists travelling to the area to indulge in a little hanami themselves.