Cherry blossoms covering Mt. Yoshino, renowned for its 30,000 sakura trees of 200 varieties, in the western Japan prefecture of Nara reached their peak blooms Friday, 10 days earlier than usual.

This year was also marked by fewer visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic, with disinfection booths set up in nearby train stations and parking areas, as well as bus tours for tourists taking rapid COVID-19 tests before visiting the area.

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on April 2, 2021, shows Mt. Yoshino covered with cherry blossoms in full bloom in Nara Prefecture, western Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Reservations for about 2,000 buses for tours are made every year but they have plummeted to a tenth this year due to the coronavirus spread, according to the town of Yoshino where the mountain is located.

Most of the visitors who saw the pink and white flowers, mostly Cerasus jamasakura, wore masks and took pictures as they walked up the mountain paths.

The falling cherry blossom petals "reminded me of Canadian snowfall," Aileen Schrock, a 36-year-old English teacher from the city of Osaka, said referring to her home country.

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on April 2, 2021, shows Mt. Yoshino covered with cherry blossoms in full bloom in Nara Prefecture, western Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo