Job Discussion Forums

ssjup81 · Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:43 pm Post subject: Japanese School Breaks

Hey. Was just curious, when does the spring break fall in Japan for students this year? Is it the same every year, or does it vary from year to year? For instance, here, the date is never really determined for it...it's just always either during the week of Easter Sunday or the week prior to it.

All I know is that the school year is from April - March. How long is the spring vacation, typically?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

What type of school did you have in mind?

International schools have a different schedule than the other mainstream ones.

Mainstream JHS/HS may finish classes in Feb. Dates vary.
Unis finish in late Jan or Feb. (Mine have finals this week.)
Just because one is through with classes, that doesn't mean they are finished working in such environments, though. (It may depend on what kind of job you have, too: PT vs. FT, ALT vs. solo.)

Eikaiwas don't really have much of a break per se. Classes resume in April, and then the break is for Golden Week (May), which practically all schools here get.

ssjup81 · Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 4:31 am Post subject:

Sorry for not specifying. I was referring to the public schools (ES, JHS, HS).

seklarwia · Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:13 am Post subject:

Our schools all finish in March with our JHs finishing somewhere in the 3rd week. Our spring breaks are 2-3 weeks. My last day is Feb 18th and the new term starts April 5th.

But it might depend on where abouts in Japan you go. I hear that schools in Tokyo have a much longer summer break than us out here.

ripslyme · Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 481 Location: Japan

When I worked in ES/JHS/HS, the school year basically looked like this:
Early April - Late July
*break* (about 4-5 weeks)
Early September - Late December
*break* (about 2 weeks)
Early January - Mid-March
*break* (about 2-3 weeks)

ssjup81 · Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:00 pm Post subject:

If it isn't too much trouble, could you guys specify as to what prefecture/city you guys were in for those schedules mentioned?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

seklarwia · Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 9:50 pm Post subject:

Mine is too, although I only live near the monkey onsen; not actually there Wink

Just as well really... the things that visit occasionally come into the towns and city are HUGE Shocked

Where did you work, Ripslyme? You were lucky. Our summer break is about 3 weeks (finish late July and back mid August).

ripslyme · Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 481 Location: Japan

ssjup81 · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 4:07 pm Post subject:

Thanks for some of that info.

I now have a question about the universities of Japan now. Do they even have yearbooks in the colleges there or something similar to it?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Have not seen any yearbook at the uni where I work. My own American uni never had one, either.

ssjup81 · Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:58 pm Post subject:

They're are and in between, but some still do have them (yearbooks in US colleges). My father had one for the college he attended years ago.

Anywho, do universities in Japan have anything like say scrapbooks or whatever of former alumni or maybe top graduates of the institution, stuff like that? Been curious about this for years, to be honest.