How does a School Year work in japan?

[Vahn]

Ok how does your average middle school work in Japan. What month is it that they get an entire month off, do they get any breaks for Christmas? When do their school year usually start? Any major holiday in japan that is observed by all?

Thanks

[lwf58]

Ok how does your average middle school work in Japan. What month is it that they get an entire month off, do they get any breaks for Christmas? When do their school year usually start? Any major holiday in japan that is observed by all?

Thanks

Very similar in many respects to the US (has to do with us winning a war or something silly like that). They have winter, spring and summer breaks like we do, although the summer break tends to be shorter.

In Japan, almost all schools run a three-term school year (trimester system), and most universities and colleges have a semester system. Most schools with a trimester system have a first term from April 1 to mid-July. The exact date of the beginning of the summer break and its duration vary across regions, but commonly the break lasts for about one or two months. The break originated to avoid the heat in summer, so elementary, middle, and high schools in Hokkaidō and Nagano Prefecture tend to have a shorter summer break than the rest of schools in Japan. A second term lasts from early September to late December with a winter break at the end of the year. The term is followed by a third term from early January to early March and a brief spring break lasting several weeks. The graduation ceremony occurs in March, and the enrollment ceremony in early April.

Some universities and colleges accept students in September or October in order to let those students from other semester systems enroll. In recent years a few colleges have begun experimenting with having two semesters instead of the traditional three with the break between two semesters in summer.

Japan has national holidays too, but not quite as many as the US. Golden Week (Ōgata renkyū) is the biggest holiday period of the Japanese year, when the roads and resort areas get incredibly crowded with people trying to get away from the crowds in the cities. It's the period between April 29th and May 5th, and contains 5 or 6 national and minor holidays. Many companies close down for Golden Week, making it a yearly vacation for many Japanese workers.

January
1st: New Year's Day (gantan): Only 1st January is an official national holiday, but the New Year period (shogatsu) is considered to last until the 3rd, and many business re-open on the 4th or 5th.
11th: Coming of Age Day (seijin no hi): all young people who turn 20 this year are celebrated on this national holiday.
February
3rd: Beginning of Spring (setsubun): traditional holiday
11th: National Foundation Day (kenkoku kinen no hi)
March
3rd: Girls' or Dolls' Festival (hina matsuri): not a national holiday.
21st: Spring Equinox (shunbun no hi)
April
29th: Showa Day (Showa no hi): the birthday of the Showa Emperor (Hirohito). Due to the way the weekdays fall in 2010, Showa Day is an isolated holiday and not really part of Golden Week.
May
3rd: Constitution Day (kenpo kinenbi)
5th: Childrens' Day (Boys' Day) (kodomo no hi)
July
7th: Tanabata (Star Festival) (not a national holiday)
13-15th: Obon (Festival of Souls): although this is not an official national holiday, many offices are closed during this important Buddhist festival (Tokyo celebrates in July)
August
13-15: Obon (Festival of Souls): although this is not an official national holiday, many offices are closed (most of the rest of the country celebrates in August)
September
20th: Respect for the Aged Day (keiro no hi)
October
11th: Sports Day (taiku no hi)
November
3rd: Culture Day (bunka no hi)
15th: Shichi-go-san (7/5/3 Festival): not a national holiday, but an important traditional festival. This festival celebrates children who have survived to the three ages the festival is named after. Historic Japan had a fairly high infant mortality rate.
23rd: Labour Thanksgiving Day (kinro kansha no hi)
December
23rd: Emperor's Birthday (Tenno tanjobi)
31st: New Years Eve (omisoka): officially a holiday for bank and government employees only. But for many offices, 25th will be the last working day until January 4th.