For over a millennium, Kyoto’s court officials have logged the day cherry trees burst into bloom, creating a climate record that predates thermometers. The project fell to climate scientist Yasuyuki Aono, who spent 15 years decoding ancient scripts and updating the dataset annually. His death last summer triggered a search for a new custodian. Beyond science, the record underpins Japan’s hanami industry, a billion‑dollar tourism driver.

Data scientists at Our World in Data urged a Kyoto‑based botanist to take over, emphasizing local knowledge of the Arashiyama groves. Tokyo biophysicist Genki Katata, senior fellow at the Canon Institute for Global Studies, accepted the role on Friday. He will continue tracking the native Yamazakura, whose bloom timing has shifted three weeks earlier since 2021, reflecting a 3.4°C rise in regional temperatures.

The continuity of this 1,200‑year series matters to investors monitoring climate risk, as earlier blossoms signal accelerating warming and urban heat‑island effects that can disrupt tourism, agriculture and supply chains. Researchers plan to disentangle anthropogenic warming from natural variability, offering clearer metrics for carbon‑pricing models. The dataset now has a guaranteed steward, ensuring its utility for future climate‑finance analyses.