Renkeiji's cherry blossoms declared "open" today

Renkeiji Temple in Kawagoe (review on City-cost here) announced on their Instagram account this morning that the somei yoshino cherry blossoms have started to bloom. They make a decision to declare the season "open" once there are a few cherry blossoms flowering on a few of the trees. They don't have that many trees, but the ones they have are mature and beautiful. When in full bloom they transform the temple grounds from plain to stunning.

I decided in the afternoon to incorporate a quick visit to Renkeiji after seeing that their report this morning. Sure enough, I found a few open blossoms on each of the trees. Some trees had more than others. From a distance the trees still look bare. But hopefully by this weekend they will have enough flowers to make them more photogenic. There are various events on at the temple this weekend, including a sakura x tea event. There was also another variety of cherry blossom in full bloom, pictured below. 

The most famous cherry blossoms in Kawagoe are the ones behind Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. I just did a drive by them today and they don't look to have any open flowers yet. But I will be checking properly tomorrow. In Nakain, another prominent temple in Kawagoe, the weeping cherry blossom is not quite full bloom yet, but is blooming beautifully. In another couple of days I am sure there will be even more cherry blossoms in bloom in Kawagoe.

Have you seen any somei yoshino cherry blossoms blooming yet this year?