About this Holiday
Autumnal Equinox Day (Shūbun no Hi) celebrates the autumn equinox, a time to honor ancestors and contemplate the natural world. Like Vernal Equinox Day, it is the central day of the autumn Higan week in Japanese Buddhism, when families visit graves to clean and offer flowers, incense, and favorite foods of the deceased. The exact date varies year to year, typically falling around September 22–23, as determined by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.