A huge part of your time will be spent at school. At school you are expected to obey the rules, follow the same schedule as other students, join in after-school activities, and mix with as many students as possible. The school is hosting you for you to learn, but also for others to learn from you. This will require a lot of energy, but it is part of your duty as an AFS student, and the experiences of past AFS participants show that this effort will be well rewarded in terms of friendships, feeling positive about yourself, and understanding Japanese culture.
If you have any questions about school life, ask your homeroom teacher or school advisor.
The 6 years of elementary school and 3 years of junior high school are compulsory. After that 97% of students go on to 3 years of senior high school. Some schools combine junior high and senior high school for a 6 year (Secondary) program. University is normally 4 years. https://www.mext.go.jp/en/policy/education/index.htm
Pupils usually go to the public elementary and junior high school closest to their home, but everyone has to take entrance exams for secondary school, senior high school, and university. If they want to enter private schools, those have entrance exams for all levels.
The school year is from April to March. Most schools have a summer holiday from mid July to the end of August and a winter holiday from late December to early January, but there are some regional differences. For example, the winter holiday is longer in Hokkaido where it is very cold. Public schools have classes five days a week from 8:30am to late afternoon, but a growing number of high schools have classes on Saturday mornings. Many private schools also have classes on Saturday mornings. Most classes have mid-term and final exams.
School events - Activities throughout the year include Bunkasai (culture festival), Tai’ikusai (sports festival), chorus competition, excursions and overnight trips, etc.
Getting to school – Most children get to school on their own, walking, cycling or using public transportation. Many travel a long way to school (30 minutes by bicycle or 90 minutes by train is not uncommon) and sometimes are caught up in the morning rush hour, especially in big cities. If you cannot ride a bicycle, try to learn before you come to Japan.
Lunch - Japanese students eat a packed lunch, obentō, from home, buy lunch at the canteen or the school cafeteria. Students do not go home for lunch.
This is a 2-3 day trip to major historical sites or popular tourist destinations, sometimes overseas. For most students, this is the highlight of the school year. It is recommended that you participate, however you need to pay for it yourself. Please take note of the following;
It is optional (some Japanese students do not go).
You must pay the fees yourself. Your host school, host family or AFS will not pay for the school trip.
You will have to pay in advance, before a fixed deadline. Most schools only accept cash and do not accept credit cards. Please make sure that you have discussed with your sending parent(s) / legal guardian(s) how you will pay for your school trip and bring enough cash to ensure that you can pay by the required date.
If you apply for the school trip and then cancel because you can’t get the money, you will have to pay a cancellation fee. See the details and decide with your parents/guardians in advance.
If the trip is to a foreign country, you need to ask your hosting chapter to send a “Parental Permission for Travel with Host Family or School” form via the AFS office for your parent(s) / guardian(s) to sign. Do this as soon as possible.
Students are grouped in “homeroom” classes that consist of 35 to 40 students. Students stay in their room for most lessons; teachers move from room to room for their scheduled lessons.
Most AFS participants will follow the same class schedule as their homeroom classmates. It will be difficult to understand the lessons at first, but attending every lesson and showing an interest in what is happening is very important.
Don’t be late for school; punctuality is very important in Japan.
Students are expected to stay at school until the end of the last lesson every day.
If you have self-study periods, stay in the room you have been given and don’t walk around the school.
Students call teachers “Sensei” or by their last name with “sensei” added on the end. You should speak to teachers using polite Japanese and show respect to them even outside the classroom and school.
School is the center of social activities for people your age in Japan and so this is where you will find it easiest to make friends. The sooner you find a circle of friends, the happier you will be at school. It may not always be easy to make friends, but it mostly depends on you, as the new person, to make it happen! Here are some tips.
Spend as much time in your homeroom as possible. It will make everyone feel that you are a member of the group, not just a temporary special guest.
Go to school a little early. Many students do so to talk or relax before classes.
Breaks and lunch time are also good chances to socialize with your classmates.
Participate actively in as many school events as possible.
Make a special effort to talk to everyone during the first month. Your enthusiasm and positivity will be noticed, and your classmates will likely pay you back with friendship. People who are quiet and shy at first may become your best friends!
Try hard to learn as much Japanese as possible.
Join a school club. Becoming a “member” is very important, and this is also the best way to find friends with similar interests.
In Japan there is a clear distinction between seniors and juniors, students who are older/younger or in upper/lower grades. Senior students are called “sempai” and junior students are called “kōhai.” You will notice that kōhai students use polite language when speaking to their sempai and sempai usually look after the kōhai. This is especially noticeable in the school clubs.
AFS participants from Western countries are often surprised when they see girls (or boys) holding hands or sitting on their friend’s laps, but in most cases, this simply shows that they are close friends and does not have deeper implications.
Parents and teachers generally do not think that high school students are mature enough to have amorous relationships at this age.
How to avoid misunderstandings on this issue.
Don’t spend time alone with a person of the opposite sex.
Don’t touch members of the opposite sex in front of other people.
A one-on-one date (as opposed to going out in a group) indicates that the relationship is progressing, so don’t be surprised if you casually ask someone out and they take it much more seriously than you intended.
Japanese Grin: Japanese high school students tend to laugh to create a warm atmosphere to support exchange students, who are nervous and trying their best to speak Japanese, to ease the tense atmosphere. If an exchange student doesn’t know this cultural difference, you may mistakenly think that they are making fun of you. Remember that Japanese people generally have a positive impression of foreigners who make the effort to speak to them in Japanese, because trying hard is a virtue in Japanese culture. They may also think that exchange students who speak only English are snobbish or lazy. Always start in Japanese!
Joining a club will give you the chance to make friends and learn more about Japanese culture. Schools have a wide range of club activities, which meet all the year round (they are not seasonal). This means that the ski club trains hard all summer and the baseball club trains hard all winter. Also, students generally join just one club and remain in it until graduation.
For you it is a good idea to check out the clubs for a month or so, giving each a try to see how you like them before deciding which to join. If you only join one club, you will become good friends with the other members and have a sense of achievement. On the other hand, joining more than one club will give you the chance to learn more about different aspects of Japanese culture.
AFS does not pay for club activities, so find out how much it will cost for equipment and other expenses, such as train fare to match venues, for the club you want to join. You can also ask the club’s supervising teacher about borrowing equipment.
School life and club life are important, but make sure you make time for your host family. Remember, your host family is not a hotel; they expect you to spend time with them too.
Common sports clubs - Kendo, Judo, Aikido, Kyudo, Baseball, Soccer & Basketball.
Sports club practice hours are long and the training is hard. Oftentimes practice is held every day, even on holidays and during the summer vacation, and sometimes early in the morning. Please be aware that even if you join a sports club, the High School Athletic Federation does not allow exchange students to participate in official matches.
Common culture clubs – Art, Tea Ceremony, Calligraphy, Brass Band, Handicrafts, Literature, and Animation.
Culture clubs usually require less time than sports clubs, and some meet only once a week (although brass band and chorus typically practice almost every day).
To get into a respected university, high school students study hard and many go to “juku”, private cram school, after school and on weekends. Students rarely go out together after school, so it is a good idea to make the most of the time at school.
Schools have many rules, which apply not only to your school life, but also to your life outside of school as well. It is your responsibility to know and follow these rules. Schools are respected institutions with a very large role in Japanese society. Breaking their rules will say that you don’t value having a good relationship with your host school and teachers, cause trouble for your host family, and even result in an early return.
The following are examples of school rules, some of which you may find surprising:
School uniform rules (color of socks, length of skirt, etc)
No part-time jobs
Hairstyle rules
No jewelry (rings, earrings, body piercing), hair bands, nail polish, make-up, perfume, facial hair (mustaches or beards) or tattoos.
There is no cleaning staff and so students take turns cleaning classrooms, hallways, restrooms, the gym, the grounds and other facilities every day after classes finish. There are also big clean-up days several times a year.
High schools are required by law to give annual physical examinations to ensure that students are in good health and able to participate in school activities with others. You are expected to get examined if your host school asks you to.
In Japan, host schools accept AFS participants as ‘auditing students’, without tuition fees. Therefore, please note that official transcripts with your grades will NOT be issued.
Some students may need a certificate of attendance (without grades) from your host school. Make sure to check BEFORE COMING TO JAPAN whether your school in your home country requires such certificates. If so, it is your responsibility to study diligently, actively participate in host school activities, acquire the documents and have them apostilled by Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan or Consulate of your country before leaving Japan.
If you need a certificate of attendance, please ask your host school as soon as you arrive, ideally on your first day at school, whether they will be able to issue it at the end of your stay. Please note that it may not be possible to issue it.
You are free to consult AFS Japan about this, but neither AFS Japan nor your host family will monitor your acquisition of such certificates.
(Appendix: Certificate / Academic Record)
The host school accepts you free of charge (no tuition), so we cannot ask for a customized curriculum or special services for you.
Most schools have rules against facial hair. Boys should shave before going to school.