Respect for the Aged Day

Respect for the Aged Days is one of national holidays in Japan, held on the third Monday of September. It is held to honor and show respect to the elderly.

It used to be cerebrated on September 15 until 2002. As the Japanese government adopted the Happy Monday System to give us the longer weekends, it was moved to the third Monday of September since 2003.

What people usually do for elderly ?

People usually visit their parents or grandparents, giving the presents, enjoy eating together and so on. We tell them our praying ”Please live a long, healthy life”.

Children of kindergarten or elementary school sometimes visit nursing home（retirement home) and spend time with them to please them.

The media try to focus on the subject about elderly to give the opportunity to draw people’s attention to the elderly.

Silver Week 〜　Convbined with Respect for the Aged day

If it encounters on the luckiest calendar, we might have Silver Week (5 consecutive holiday in autumn) . It consists of usual weekends, Respect for the Aged Day and Autumnal Equinox Day.

We have an annal long holiday called Golden Week around the beginning of May. Silver Week is named after the Golden Week. But unfortunately Silver Week comes only on limited years. We had them in 2009 and 2015 since Happy Monday System started, then next Silver Week will be in 2026.