The amount of pollen is expected to surge 10- or 20-fold over 2004 and twice as much as in an average year due to the hot summer last year, the company said.

Regions from Kanto to Kyushu are expected to see the first cedar pollen at the beginning or middle of February, it said.

The Sanin, Hokuriku and northern Koshin regions, and the southern Tohoku region on the Pacific side, will probably see pollen in mid- or late February, Weathernews said, while the rest of Tohoku will see the first instances in early or mid-March.

"This year will likely see the largest or second-largest amount of cedar pollen ever," Seiken Sugiura, deputy chief Cabinet secretary, told a news conference.

The Japan Times Weekly: Jan. 29, 2005
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