Silver Week

Silver Week (シルバーウィーク Shirubā Wīku^?) is a new Japanese term applied to a string of consecutive holidays in September. In 2009, the term gained popularity^[1], referring to the unusual occurrence that year of a weekend followed by three Japanese public holidays in September. The holidays were:

• Respect for the Aged Day, third Monday of September
• Autumnal Equinox Day, astronomically determined, but usually September 23
• Kokumin no kyūjitsu, the day in between the two other holidays

The five-day break occurs in the following years:

• September 19 – September 23: 2009, 2015, 2026, 2037, 2043, 2054, 2071, 2099
• September 18 – September 22: 2032, 2049, 2060, 2077, 2088, 2094

Historians have identified Silver Week itself as a commercial invention of the 1950s film industry, keen to promote cinema attendance during the holiday by reference to the popularity of leisure pursuits during the better-established Golden Week^[5], yet another invention of the Japanese film industry.^[6]