賞楓變賞櫻：極端天氣導(dǎo)致日本櫻花秋天綻放

秋意漸濃，本該是賞楓的時(shí)節(jié)，但日本的櫻花卻在這個(gè)時(shí)候綻放了。櫻花在春天盛開(kāi)讓人欣喜，在秋天開(kāi)花卻引人擔(dān)憂。專家稱，近日襲擊日本的強(qiáng)臺(tái)風(fēng)導(dǎo)致的氣溫異常讓櫻樹(shù)混淆了開(kāi)花時(shí)間，從而出現(xiàn)大片櫻樹(shù)反季開(kāi)花的現(xiàn)象。

Every spring, cherry blossoms bloom in Japan, and it is an occasion for national celebration. Picnics, picture-taking, parties, and excursions to observe the trees in all their ephemeral glory abound. The traditional nature festivities are enjoyed by people of all ages and visitors from around the world who come to enjoy hanami, or flower viewing.

每年春天日本櫻花盛開(kāi)時(shí)，是日本舉國(guó)歡慶的時(shí)節(jié)。人們會(huì)在櫻樹(shù)下野餐、照相、舉行賞花會(huì)、短途旅游，欣賞轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝的櫻花盛景。各個(gè)年齡層的日本人和世界各地前來(lái)賞櫻的游客都會(huì)參加櫻花節(jié)的傳統(tǒng)慶?；顒?dòng)。

However, when the trees bloom in fall—as an unusually large number of them have done this season—it could be cause for concern. Due to extreme weather and a slew of recent typhoons, most notably the destructive Typhoon Jebi, which hit in early September, it seems some iconic trees have grown confused, sprouting flowers off-schedule.

但是，當(dāng)櫻樹(shù)在秋天開(kāi)花時(shí)，卻引發(fā)了人們的擔(dān)憂。今年日本的多棵櫻樹(shù)都在秋天開(kāi)花，這是十分異常的現(xiàn)象。由于極端天氣和近日臺(tái)風(fēng)的頻繁侵襲，尤其是九月初襲擊日本的強(qiáng)破壞性臺(tái)風(fēng)“飛燕”，一些櫻樹(shù)似乎搞錯(cuò)了季節(jié)，在反季開(kāi)花。

While the phenomenon is not unheard of, it seems lots of trees have bloomed very early in Tokyo this autumn. As Hiroyuki Wada of the Flower Association of Japan told broadcaster NHK, “This has happened in the past, but I don’t remember seeing something of this scale.”

雖然這種現(xiàn)象以前也有過(guò)先例，但今年?yáng)|京似乎有許多櫻樹(shù)都在早秋開(kāi)花了。日本花卉協(xié)會(huì)的和田博之告訴廣播機(jī)構(gòu)日本放送協(xié)會(huì)說(shuō)：“過(guò)去也曾發(fā)生過(guò)這種情況，但我不記得看過(guò)這么多櫻樹(shù)在秋天開(kāi)花。”

Wada posits that warm weather caused by typhoons may have confused the trees. He notes, too, that many trees lost their foliage during storms and the leaves of the cherry blossom tree release a hormone that prevents budding except in spring. The trees only bloom once a year, so an autumnal display bars the traditional spring blossoms from appearing on the same tree.

和田的理論是，臺(tái)風(fēng)過(guò)后當(dāng)?shù)販囟壬?，讓櫻?shù)混淆了開(kāi)花的時(shí)間。他也指出，臺(tái)風(fēng)帶來(lái)的暴風(fēng)雨使得許多櫻樹(shù)的葉子掉落，而櫻樹(shù)的葉子會(huì)釋放出一種激素，讓櫻樹(shù)只在春季長(zhǎng)出花蕾。櫻樹(shù)一年只開(kāi)花一次，所以秋天開(kāi)過(guò)花的櫻樹(shù)明年春天到了傳統(tǒng)的開(kāi)花時(shí)節(jié)就不會(huì)再開(kāi)花。

The meteorological company Weathernews says that more than 300 individuals in Tokyo have reported autumnal blossoms, although it’s not clear the extent to which these reports overlap. Wada says that the traditional viewing season should not be seriously impacted by the unusual display of blossoms.

日本氣象株式會(huì)社稱，東京有超300人報(bào)告稱今秋看到了櫻樹(shù)開(kāi)花，不過(guò)這些統(tǒng)計(jì)的人數(shù)中可能有重復(fù)。和田說(shuō)，這一反常開(kāi)花現(xiàn)象對(duì)明年的傳統(tǒng)賞櫻季應(yīng)該影響不大。

The cherry blossom forecast, published annually by the Japan Meteorological Corporation, has not yet been released for 2019. Kyuhoshi, a travel website, says, “This year, sakura have bloomed earlier than average.”

日本氣象新聞公司尚未發(fā)布2019櫻花花期年度預(yù)報(bào)。旅游網(wǎng)站Kyuhoshi稱：“今年櫻花開(kāi)得比往年更早一些。”

Traditionally, the sakura-viewing celebrations were meant to highlight the temporal beauty of nature. The flower viewing parties are believed to have started in the eighth century in Kyoto, initiated by the emperor Saga, who would hold picnics under the springtime blossoms. The festivities began in the daytime and sometimes continued late into the night, as guests enjoyed sake and the sight of the blooms by the light of the moon.

傳統(tǒng)上，賞櫻慶祝活動(dòng)的目的是讓人們品味大自然轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝的美。據(jù)稱，賞花會(huì)是8世紀(jì)在京都興起的，由嵯峨天皇發(fā)起，在春天的櫻花樹(shù)下野餐。賞花會(huì)從白天開(kāi)始，有時(shí)延續(xù)到深夜，賓客們?cè)谠鹿庀乱贿吅惹寰疲贿呅蕾p櫻花美景。

Extreme weather adds a new twist to the traditional reasoning behind appreciating the cherry blossoms mother nature offers. Now we know that her beauty is not only transient, a treat to be appreciated when she deigns to share her gifts on a brief annual basis, but that she is also surprising. Her delights may come when they are not expected and her treasures, it seems, are not always bound by strict schedules.

極端天氣為我們欣賞大自然母親饋贈(zèng)的櫻花美景在傳統(tǒng)含義上又添了一層新意?，F(xiàn)在，我們了解到，大自然的美不僅是轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝，一年只分享一次的珍貴禮物，而且還是出人意料的。大自然的饋贈(zèng)可能會(huì)不期而至，而她的珍寶也不會(huì)一直固守四季倫常。