An overlap of pollens

Today, and March 7th annually, is Pollen Allergy / Hayfever Day 花粉症記念日 (kafunsho no hi) in Japan. However, no official organization or group has actually established this day. A commonly repeated explanation for the anniversary is that the Japan Meteorological Agency began releasing pollen information on March 7th in1993.

Do you suffer from hay fever / pollen allergies? I remember seeing a program on Japanese television about how a lot of foreigners can enjoy up to 15 years in Japan without suffering from hay fever / pollen allergies. The program explained the plausible scientific reason behind the timeframe. But more than that, the report stuck with me because this was exactly my experience. I was in Japan 14 years before I suffered from hay fever. 

Right now a lot of people are suffering because there is an overlap of pollens. We are well into the cedar (sugi) pollen season, which started early in 2026 at the end of January. Typically Japanese cedar pollen is from February to April and cypress (hinoki) is from March to May. So in the months of March and April there is a double dose of pollens!