Program Dates:

Application deadlines for the student exchange programs each year are:
September (5 or 10 month) – April 1, 2010
January – October 1, 2010
* Applications to Japan are currently closed

The Japanese school system consists of six years of elementary school, three years of junior high school and three years of senior high school, followed by two to four years of post-secondary education. School is compulsory through to junior high school. Entrance examinations are required for both public and private high school.

The academic calendar begins in April and runs to the following March. While not all schools require a school uniform, all schools have a strict dress code policy. Students are expected to help keep their school environment clean. The annual school trip is a special event, usually to a special place of interest in Japan.

There is so much to experience and explore in Japan, with new traditions to learn and an opportunity to see ancient temples and historic sites. Living in Japanese culture has been a rewarding experience for all of the YES Canada students who have travelled to this region. It really is the experience of a lifetime.

Japan is a country of over three thousand islands extending along the Pacific coast of Asia. The main islands, running from north to south, are Hokkaidō, Honshū (the main island), Shikoku and Kyūshū. The Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa, are a chain of islands south of Kyushū. Together they are often known as the Japanese Archipelago. The Japanese word for Japan, Nihon (Nippon), means source of the sun.

School System

The Japanese educational system consist of six years of elementary school, three years of junior high school, three years of senior high school, and two to four years of college/university.  School attendance is compulsory through junior high school.

Entrance examinations are required for both public and private high school. More than 90% of junior high school students continue on to senior high school and about 30 % proceed to institutions of high learning.

The school year is from April to March of the following year. Not all Japanese high schools have uniforms, but all do have dress codes and many, many rules and regulations. Students help to keep the school clean. The annual school trip is special event. Most such trips are made to famous sites in Japan.