The start of the "spring equinox" solar term

This year the fourth (of 24) solar term, Shunbun = Spring Equinox, starts on March 20th. It is mostly associated with starting on March 21st, but this is the third year in a row that it has fallen on March 20th. Next year, 2027, it will start on March 21st and from 2028 to 2030 it will start on March 20th. 

Spring Equinox (Shunbun) marks one of the most balanced and symbolically rich points in the traditional Japanese calendar. It occurs when the sun crosses the vernal equinox and its longitude reaches 0 degrees. Astronomically it is a single moment, at 23:46 in 2026, but in the calendar it becomes a day, Shunbun no Hi, and also the seasonal period lasting until the next solar term, Seimei. 

It is within this period that the micro season "first cherry blossom" falls, from March 25th, but the cherry blossoms are already in bloom in Tokyo. "First cherry blossom" is one of three micro seasons that fall during the spring equinox solar term. Each indicate a further deepening of spring, bringing more flowers and awakenings in nature.