Ueno Park 1. Wide shot of people under cherry blossom trees 2. Man playing guitar under the tree 3. Close up of cherry blossoms 4. Pan from blossoms to people under the trees 5. People having picnic 6. Wide shot of people having picnic 7. Top shot of people walking under trees Kanda Myojin Shrine 8. Various of cherry blossoms at a Shinto shrine Ueno Park 9. Wide shot of people having picnic 10. Little girl trying to reach blossoms 11. SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) Vox pop: "I thought that the blooming would not happen for another few weeks. But since I heard the news that the blossoms were appearing much earlier than usual, I hurried to come here." Q: How do you find the cherry blossoms this year? A: "They are extremely beautiful." 12 . SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) Vox pop: "I think this early blooming is to do with global warming. I think the nature cycle is getting strange. But any way, by looking at those flowers, I feel calmer." 13. Zoom into people looking at cherry blossoms 14. Ducks with cherry blossoms 15. Zoom out shot of cherry trees surrounding pond STORYLINE: The Japanese have come out 15 days earlier than usual this year for one of their favourite seasonal pastimes - welcoming the cherry blossoms. It's a tradition that stretches back centuries, but the annual flowering has only been recorded by weather forecasters since 1953. Japan's Meteorological Agency says the previous earliest blossoming of the cherry trees was on March 20 in 1973, on the island of Tanegashima in Kagoshima Prefecture. Weather experts say this year's early blooms are a sign that the earth may be warming, as climate scientists have been predicting. For the Japanese though it's a welcome sign that the cold weather is over and that for the next few days at least, places like Tokyo and Kyodo will come alive with the pastel colour and soft fragrance of cherry blossom. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/d21d9d0e0870a45c39c44ca3acd73c16 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork