2 : What time do children in Japan usually go to school and come home?
In this series, I’ll be sharing questions that our customers have asked!
Q. What time do children in Japan usually go to school and come home?
A. The times at which Japanese children go to and return from school vary slightly depending on the school and region. For elementary school students, the typical time to leave home for school is between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m., ensuring they arrive before classes begin. The time they return home depends on their grade level. Lower-grade students usually finish school around 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., while upper-grade students may finish around 3:30 to 4:00 p.m.
For junior high and high school students, the school day tends to start earlier. They typically leave home between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. Students involved in extracurricular activities, such as club practices, may go to school even earlier for morning training sessions. School ends around 4:00 p.m., but many students stay later—until 6:00 or 7:00 p.m.—for club activities.
In addition, a significant number of students attend cram schools (juku) or extracurricular lessons after school, which often results in them returning home even later than their school dismissal time.