Silver Week in Japan: 19–23 September 2026, and none in 2027

Silver Week 2026 was 5 days off in a row, from Saturday 19 September to Wednesday 23 September 2026. There is no five-day Silver Week in 2027: Respect for the Aged Day is Monday 20 September 2027 and Autumnal Equinox Day is Thursday 23 September 2027.

Updated October 2, 2026

5days off in a row in 2026

3days off in a row in 2027

1,070,000Shinkansen seats booked by 3 September 2026

Not every year

Silver Week 2026, day by day

Tuesday 22 September was a day off because it fell between two national holidays.

Silver Week 2026: holidays, weekends and reserved-only Nozomi days
Date	Day	Holiday	Banks	Nozomi trains
19 September 2026	Saturday	Weekend	Closed	Reserved seats only
20 September 2026	Sunday	Weekend	Closed	Reserved seats only
21 September 2026	Monday	Respect for the Aged Day	Closed	Reserved seats only
22 September 2026	Tuesday	Citizens' Holiday	Closed	Reserved seats only
23 September 2026	Wednesday	Autumnal Equinox Day	Closed	Reserved seats only

Sources: Cabinet Office (holidays) · Enforcement Order of the Banking Act, Article 5 (banks) · JR Central and JR West (Nozomi)

September 2027: no five-day break

A three-day weekend from 18 to 20 September 2027, then Autumnal Equinox Day on a Thursday.

September 2027: holidays, weekends and bank closures
Date	Day	Holiday	Banks
18 September 2027	Saturday	Weekend	Closed
19 September 2027	Sunday	Weekend	Closed
20 September 2027	Monday	Respect for the Aged Day	Closed
21 September 2027	Tuesday	Not a holiday	Open
22 September 2027	Wednesday	Not a holiday	Open
23 September 2027	Thursday	Autumnal Equinox Day	Closed

Sources: Cabinet Office (holidays) · Enforcement Order of the Banking Act, Article 5 (banks)

Why Silver Week happens only in some years

Respect for the Aged Day is the third Monday of September, and the equinox moves between 22 and 24 September. When they fall on the Monday and Wednesday of the same week, the Tuesday becomes a holiday.

Act on National Holidays, Article 3A day (limited to a day that is not a national holiday) is to be considered as a public holiday, if the days preceding to and following that day are both originally national holidays.Official English translation

Shinkansen bookings for Silver Week 2026

By 3 September 2026, 1,070,000 reserved seats on the Tokaido Shinkansen were booked for 18 to 23 September 2026, out of 3,160,000 on offer.

Booked by 3 Sep: 1,070,000
Seats on offer: 3,160,000
Peak from Tokyo: Sat 19 September
Peak to Tokyo: Tue 22 September

Source: JR Central — Silver Week 2026: reserved-seat bookings (4 September 2026)

Frequently asked questions

When is Silver Week 2027?

There is no five-day Silver Week in 2027. Respect for the Aged Day is Monday 20 September 2027, giving a three-day weekend from 18 to 20 September 2027, and Autumnal Equinox Day is Thursday 23 September 2027.

What was Silver Week 2026?

Five days off from Saturday 19 September to Wednesday 23 September 2026: a weekend, Respect for the Aged Day, a Citizens' Holiday and Autumnal Equinox Day.

Why was 22 September 2026 a holiday?

Under Article 3 of the Act on National Holidays, a weekday between two national holidays becomes a day off.