[For Seniors] Enjoy Brain Training with September Trivia Quizzes & Fun Facts

Because it only becomes a consecutive holiday when two holidays fall in a specific sequence

Silver Week occurs only when two holidays in September—Respect for the Aged Day and the Autumnal Equinox Day—fall with just a single weekday between them. Because of this, many years do not produce a long weekend, depending on how the calendar falls. Since this alignment happens only every few years, it is not an annual, regular holiday period.

1950s

The term “Silver Week” was coined in Japan’s film industry in the 1950s to boost publicity by capitalizing on the excitement of the autumn holiday period. It didn’t catch on with the general public at the time, but regained attention in the 2000s when national holidays lined up to create a longer break. Thus, the origin of the term is surprisingly old—it was conceived long before it became widely used.

Publicity in the film industry

Silver Week is said to have originated in the 1950s, when the film industry began using the term to promote movie attendance during the large autumn holiday period. Much like Golden Week, they wanted to position the extended holidays as an opportunity to go to the movies, hence the use of “silver.” Although the timing of the autumn holidays now varies each year depending on how the public holidays line up, the name took hold thanks to this marketing strategy by the film industry.

Platinum Week

Silver Week is named for silver as a counterpart to Golden Week, but it is occasionally called Platinum Week. Because the consecutive holidays in September do not occur every year—depending on how the public holidays fall—people used the name of the more valuable metal, platinum.

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