Silver Week 2026

Today begins a rare five consecutive day holiday in Japan. The last Silver Week was in 2015.  The third Monday in September is always Respect for the Aged Day. It is a Happy Monday holiday, meaning it falls on a Monday and not a fixed number day. The Autumn Equinox holiday falls on the day of the Autumn Equinox, which could be September 22 or 23. 

So, how do we get to five consecutive days from these two holidays? The first two days are the weekend, Saturday and Sunday. Monday is Respect for the Aged Day. Japan has a special holiday rule - a day that falls between two holidays becomes a citizen’s holiday. Since Wednesday is the Autumn Equinox holiday, Tuesday is also a holiday. 

Trains run on either a weekday schedule, or a weekend/holiday schedule. All five of these days are the weekend/holiday schedule, which means fewer trains during the normal “rush hour” times. Public offices, banks, and post offices are all closed, but other businesses are usually open. Most museums in Japan are normally closed on Mondays, but when Monday is a holiday, they are open and they close the next non-holiday day. Usually that means Tuesday, but since Tuesday and Wednesday are also holidays, Thursday becomes the day they are closed. 

Unfortunately, Typhoon 25 is heading straight for Silver Week, so that may affect our holiday plans.