My Crazy Japanese High School Life in Japan | 6 Days a Week, Study Camps, and No Free Time

My Crazy Japanese High School Life in Japan | 6 Days a Week, Study Camps, and No Free Time — YouTube

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I'd like to share a bit about my own high school life in Japan. What does a typical day look like for a Japanese high school student? And what kind of daily routine did I have back then? As you read, imagine how different it might be from your own high school life.

Typical Japanese High School Life#

Let's start with what an average Japanese high school schedule looks like.

Most high schools in Japan have classes from Monday to Friday. Classes usually start around 8:30 in the morning, and there are six 50-minute periods in a day. After a short lunch break, school ends around 3 p.m.

After that, students spend their time in various ways. Some take part in club activities or school committees, while others go to part-time jobs or hang out with friends. Club activities are especially common in Japan, almost every student joins one, whether it's a sports club or a cultural club.

Many students also go to private cram schools, called juku or prep schools, to study even more after regular classes. When university entrance exams get closer, it's not unusual for students to study late into the night.

My High School Experience#

Now, let me talk about my own high school days. I went to a private school that called itself a "college prep school," and my daily life was completely focused on studying. My case was quite extreme, so I don't think it represents the average Japanese high school experience.

School Days: Monday to Saturday#

First of all, we had classes from Monday through Saturday. Most public schools in Japan have weekends off, but my school was private, and Saturday classes were part of the normal schedule. Saturday lessons were basically the same as weekday ones, and everyone was expected to attend.

Our first class started around 8:40 a.m., but before that, there was a special morning session that began around 7:40. It was supposed to be voluntary, but in reality, most students joined. After that came the morning homeroom, and then regular classes began.

We had six 50-minute classes in a row, followed by two or three 90-minute extra classes, depending on the day. There were short breaks in between, so everything finished around 8 or 9 p.m. By the time I got home, had dinner, took a bath, and rested a little, it was already time to sleep.

With that kind of schedule, there was no room for club activities or part-time work. Our after-school time was almost completely taken up by study.

Weekend "Study Camps"#

We also had weekend "study camps," though not every week. After Saturday's classes ended, we would move to a training facility, study until night, stay overnight, and continue studying until Sunday evening. After that, we went home, and on Monday morning we were back at school again. It really felt like going to school seven days a week, something even working adults would find exhausting.

Still, since we stayed overnight with classmates, some students actually enjoyed it. There were breaks, too, so at the time I didn't feel it was that bad. Looking back now, it was definitely intense, but also kind of fun in its own way.

Holidays#

Japanese high schools have long vacations like summer and winter breaks. But even during those, we had additional classes called "supplementary lessons". They were technically optional, but in practice, most students attended because it was basically expected.

Of course, during the breaks we didn't stay at school until 9 p.m. like usual, and the sessions weren't every single day, so there was a bit more free time. Still, there was always homework, and there were tests right after the holidays, so we had to prepare for those too. And yes, study camps were sometimes held during the breaks as well.

The Teachers Were Under Pressure Too#

Looking back, my high school life was pretty tough. When I entered university, I was honestly shocked by how relaxed and flexible the schedule was compared to high school.

At the time, I didn't think about it much, but now I realize that our teachers were also working incredibly hard. They stayed with us through all those evening sessions and weekend camps, constantly teaching and supervising. Their working hours must have been pretty extreme too.

There was also a high turnover of teachers. Some were very strict, and the atmosphere could be tense at times. A few teachers even raised their voices when students didn't meet expectations, so the environment was always serious and high-pressure.

As students, all we had to do was attend and study, but I think the teachers were under huge pressure from the school to maintain strong university admission results.

Exams#

In Japan, mock exams are held very frequently. At my school, we regularly had mock exams for university entrance tests. In addition, there were English tests like TOEIC and Eiken. And of course, we also had regular in-school exams, so it felt like we were always being tested.

The results of these exams affected which class you were assigned to the next year. If your scores were low, you couldn't stay in the advanced class and were moved to a different one. Not every student wanted that kind of intense studying, so some chose to transfer to a different class.

In Japan, there are several ways to get into university—for example, through recommendation-based admissions. Because tests in the advanced classes were difficult and grades were hard to maintain, some students intentionally switched to easier classes to improve their chances of getting a recommendation.

The Final Year: Exam Season#

When we became seniors, things got even more intense. Weekend study camps became more frequent, and some students went to cram schools after the regular evening sessions at school.

By the early part of senior year, most of the required subjects were already finished. After that, some students even stopped going to school and focused completely on their cram schools.

I personally didn't go to a cram school because it was expensive, so I decided to rely only on the school's program. But cram schools had students from many different schools, so they seemed like stimulating places where people could motivate each other.

So, that was my high school life. It was quite different from the typical experience and was heavily centered around studying. But looking back, I think it was a valuable experience that taught me discipline and perseverance.

On the other hand, I never got to experience things like club activities or part-time jobs, what people might call a "normal" high school life. Sometimes I wonder what that would have been like.

Closing Remarks#

Thank you for reading my article today. I hope you found the information helpful.
If you have any questions, please share comments on Twitter or YouTube.
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