The amount of hay-fever causing cedar pollen released into the air hit its highest level ever last spring, thanks to favorable weather for cedar growth the summer before.

But martyrs to hay fever may have a more comfortable time of it this spring as the pollen count is expected to be only half the average level of the past 10 years.

Koji Murakami, chief engineer at the Japan Meteorological Business Support Center and a weather forecaster, said the cedar pollen count last spring was high throughout the country.