2026 is shaping up to be a “jackpot year” on the calendar, with not one but two stretches of “long holidays.”
Open up months right away and check out this year’s list of things to look forward to.
■ Good news for spring: Golden Week could be up to 12 days off in a row!?
First up is Golden Week (GW) in spring. Even with the calendar as-is, this year secures a “5-day holiday” from May 2 (Sat) to May 6 (Wed, substitute holiday).
And by combining it with paid leave, a dreamy, extra-long holiday is within reach.
8-day plan: Take April 30 and May 1 off (Apr 29 – May 6)
Up-to-12-day plan: Also take May 7 and 8 off (Apr 29 – May 10)
Vertical-scroll through your calendar and take a look at how May lines up. If you’re going to plan your leave strategy, now might be the time.
■ Good news for autumn: “Silver Week” returns for the first time in 11 years
And the biggest news of 2026 is “Silver Week” in September.
This year, a “5-day holiday” naturally arises from September 19 (Sat) to September 23 (Wed, national holiday).
[The miraculous mechanism]
September 21 (Mon): Respect for the Aged Day
September 23 (Wed): Autumnal Equinox Day
September 22 (Tue): National Holiday (a day sandwiched between two holidays becomes a holiday itself—an “Othello holiday”!)
This 5-day holiday is occurring for the first time in 11 years—since 2015, in fact.
What’s more, if you take the 24th (Thu) and 25th (Fri) off, you can stretch this into up to 9 days off as well. Autumn’s pleasant climate makes it prime outing season, so we recommend planning your trip early.
■ Six 3-day weekends this year. Lock in your “fun” now.
Beyond the extra-long holidays, this year there are a total of six 3-day weekends combined with Saturdays and Sundays (January, February, March, July, October, and November).
On the other hand, the year-end 2026 to New Year 2027 break is expected to be a bit shorter—6 days off as the calendar stands (Dec 29 – Jan 3). That’s all the more reason to make the most of spring’s Golden Week and autumn’s Silver Week.
If you’re someone who thinks, “I just can’t get motivated now that work has started again…”, try scrolling months into the future.
Then, around Silver Week in September, go ahead and add plans (or wishes!) like “#travel” or “#camping.”
Just being able to see something fun on your calendar should shift your day-to-day motivation a little.
May months be a great partner to you all again this year.
