At 05:28 PM 6/13/97 -0400, Mike Noakes wrote:

	Anyhow.
	1-I've always been a bit vague about this.  Is the japanese High 
school week a five or six day thing?  DOes school end on Friday or Saturday?

	2-Does the japanese system follow a two-semester system, meaning 
there's a summer break?  And is that break the normal two month period?

According to my sources,

  Traditionally, Japanese schools were six days a week with Sunday off.
However, starting in 1992, every second Saturday of each month was also off
as part of a planned transition to a five day school week.  I don't know
what the status of the transition is.  


 The school year begins in April with the first term from April through
July, the second term from late August through December, and the third term
from January to mid-March.  The three week vacation in August is the
longest break in the schedule, although I have also seen references to a
six week summer break.  Perhaps the length of the summer break depends on
the whether one is referring to elementary, junior high, or high school.
The winter and spring breaks are two weeks each.  
 


dml