秋意漸濃，本該是賞楓的時節，但日本的櫻花卻在這個時候綻放了。櫻花在春天盛開讓人欣喜，在秋天開花卻引人擔憂。專家稱，近日襲擊日本的強颱風導致的氣溫異常讓櫻樹混淆了開花時間，從而出現大片櫻樹反季開花的現象。
Every spring, cherry blossoms bloom in Japan, and it is an occasion for national celebration. Picnics, picture-taking, parties, and excursions to observe the trees in all their ephemeral glory abound. The traditional nature festivities are enjoyed by people of all ages and visitors from around the world who come to enjoy hanami, or flower viewing.
每年春天日本櫻花盛開時，是日本舉國歡慶的時節。人們會在櫻樹下野餐、照相、舉行賞花會、短途旅遊，欣賞轉瞬即逝的櫻花盛景。各個年齡層的日本人和世界各地前來賞櫻的遊客都會參加櫻花節的傳統慶祝活動。
However, when the trees bloom in fall—as an unusually large number of them have done this season—it could be cause for concern. Due to extreme weather and a slew of recent typhoons, most notably the destructive Typhoon Jebi, which hit in early September, it seems some iconic trees have grown confused, sprouting flowers off-schedule.
但是，當櫻樹在秋天開花時，卻引發了人們的擔憂。今年日本的多棵櫻樹都在秋天開花，這是十分異常的現象。由於極端天氣和近日颱風的頻繁侵襲，尤其是九月初襲擊日本的強破壞性颱風「飛燕」，一些櫻樹似乎搞錯了季節，在反季開花。
While the phenomenon is not unheard of, it seems lots of trees have bloomed very early in Tokyo this autumn. As Hiroyuki Wada of the Flower Association of Japan told broadcaster NHK, 「This has happened in the past, but I don’t remember seeing something of this scale.」
雖然這種現象以前也有過先例，但今年東京似乎有許多櫻樹都在早秋開花了。日本花卉協會的和田博之告訴廣播機構日本放送協會說：「過去也曾發生過這種情況，但我不記得看過這麼多櫻樹在秋天開花。」
Wada posits that warm weather caused by typhoons may have confused the trees. He notes, too, that many trees lost their foliage during storms and the leaves of the cherry blossom tree release a hormone that prevents budding except in spring. The trees only bloom once a year, so an autumnal display bars the traditional spring blossoms from appearing on the same tree.
和田的理論是，颱風過後當地溫度升高，讓櫻樹混淆了開花的時間。他也指出，颱風帶來的暴風雨使得許多櫻樹的葉子掉落，而櫻樹的葉子會釋放出一種激素，讓櫻樹只在春季長出花蕾。櫻樹一年只開花一次，所以秋天開過花的櫻樹明年春天到了傳統的開花時節就不會再開花。
The meteorological company Weathernews says that more than 300 individuals in Tokyo have reported autumnal blossoms, although it’s not clear the extent to which these reports overlap. Wada says that the traditional viewing season should not be seriously impacted by the unusual display of blossoms.
日本氣象株式會社稱，東京有超300人報告稱今秋看到了櫻樹開花，不過這些統計的人數中可能有重複。和田說，這一反常開花現象對明年的傳統賞櫻季應該影響不大。
The cherry blossom forecast, published annually by the Japan Meteorological Corporation, has not yet been released for 2019. Kyuhoshi, a travel website, says, 「This year, sakura have bloomed earlier than average.」
日本氣象新聞公司尚未發布2019櫻花花期年度預報。旅遊網站Kyuhoshi稱：「今年櫻花開得比往年更早一些。」
Traditionally, the sakura-viewing celebrations were meant to highlight the temporal beauty of nature. The flower viewing parties are believed to have started in the eighth century in Kyoto, initiated by the emperor Saga, who would hold picnics under the springtime blossoms. The festivities began in the daytime and sometimes continued late into the night, as guests enjoyed sake and the sight of the blooms by the light of the moon.
傳統上，賞櫻慶祝活動的目的是讓人們品味大自然轉瞬即逝的美。據稱，賞花會是8世紀在京都興起的，由嵯峨天皇發起，在春天的櫻花樹下野餐。賞花會從白天開始，有時延續到深夜，賓客們在月光下一邊喝清酒，一邊欣賞櫻花美景。
Extreme weather adds a new twist to the traditional reasoning behind appreciating the cherry blossoms mother nature offers. Now we know that her beauty is not only transient, a treat to be appreciated when she deigns to share her gifts on a brief annual basis, but that she is also surprising. Her delights may come when they are not expected and her treasures, it seems, are not always bound by strict schedules.
極端天氣為我們欣賞大自然母親饋贈的櫻花美景在傳統含義上又添了一層新意。現在，我們了解到，大自然的美不僅是轉瞬即逝，一年只分享一次的珍貴禮物，而且還是出人意料的。大自然的饋贈可能會不期而至，而她的珍寶也不會一直固守四季倫常。
英文來源：Quartz
翻譯&編輯：丹妮