After months of cold weather, which brought the heaviest snowfall in four years to Tokyo back in January, the days finally began warming up in the capital last week, with sunny skies and temperatures reaching highs of 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

But just as we thought it was time to start putting away our winter wardrobe, we found ourselves digging around for our snowboots instead, as weather reports warned that a cold snap meant snowfall was predicted to fall across the city on 21 March, the first day of spring according to the Vernal Equinox.

While many couldn't believe that snow would fall in Tokyo so late in the year, it ended up snowing just as predicted, falling steadily for a number of hours to create a thin layer of white ice that made it feel like winter all over again, only this time the landscape looked different, thanks to the springtime blossoms that had sprung up around the city.

Tokyo's sakura season officially started on 17 March, after the first blossoms were seen on the sample tree at Yasukuni Shrine, which meant that people were able to see snow amongst the cherry blossoms; a rare treat for residents, particularly in the metropolis.