// Workers AI · dad joke modeDoes Silver Week have a currency for gifts? Yes, it's a gold standard.
 | This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (December 2025) |
| Silver Week シルバーウィーク (Shirubā Wīku) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | String of consecutive holidays |
| Date | September |
| Country | Japan |
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, occurring only in certain years.
Overview
[edit]The slogan was coined by Hideo Matsuyama, a Daiei Film executive and the later president of Dainichi Eihai. Matsuyama was also one of two alleged inventors of "Golden Week", along with the Daiei president Masaichi Nagata.[1][2]
In 2009, the term gained popularity,[3] 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
Japanese law stipulates that if there is only one non-holiday in between two public holidays, that day should become an additional holiday, known as a Kokumin no kyūjitsu (lit. Citizens' Holiday). It is unusual for September to get this extra holiday, so the presence of a "silver week" was not widely noted before 2009. The term "silver week" suggests a secondary status after the more famous (and annual) "Golden Week", and might also evoke the fact that it includes a holiday celebrating senior citizens. The holiday period is sometimes used for foreign travel.[4][5]
Prior to 2009, a different definition of Silver Week referred to the days in the second half of November around the time of Labour Thanksgiving Day,[6] or during the first week of November by another source.[7] 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,[7] yet another invention of the Japanese film industry.[8] However, this older definition of Silver Week did not catch on nor did it make it to some dictionaries.[9]
September occurrences
[edit]The three-day break occurs in the following years:
- September 19–23: 2009, 2015, 2026, 2037, 2043, 2054, 2071, 2099
- September 18–22: 2032, 2049, 2060, 2077, 2088, 2094
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Thomas, Russell (2020-05-02). "What is Golden Week and why does it matter?". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
- ↑ Edwards, Russell (2017-05-04). "Beauty and the Beast bask in Golden Week glow". Asia Times. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
- ↑ Google Trends - シルバーウィーク
- ↑ Dingeman, Robbie (27 August 2009). "Hawaii visitor arrivals up 1.3%". Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ↑ "Fewer overseas tourists visit Korea over summer". Joong Ang Daily. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ↑ 小林信彦『物情騒然。 人生は五十一から』文藝春秋、2002年、p91-p92
- 1 2 Phillips, Alastair (2007). Japanese cinema: texts and contexts. Taylor and Francis. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-415-32848-7.
- ↑ ゴールデンウィーク - 語源由来辞典
- ↑ Yahoo! Dictionary - no entry found for シルバーウィーク
