High School 3rd Years and Volleyball

Hello everyone, I hope you’re all taking care of yourselves. I have a couple questions regarding what third years do during their last year and if girls volleyball have tournaments because I’ve searched everywhere but nothing specifically that they do.

1. How long does each semester last?

2. When do 3rd years have their final exams? From what I’ve read, they take their final exams and if the students decide to go to university, they take university entrance exams. When do those begin? After the final exams?

3. Do 3rd years still take mid terms? If so, during which semester(s)?

4. OKAY SO: Do the girls volleyball team have tournaments and do they go to nationals? Are nationals optional?

5. 3rd years who play sports, how long can they play until they decide to leave the club to continue to study for exams/university entrance exams?

6. What kind of field trips do they take? And where do they usually go? (Historical places, popular places, etc.) When would 3rd years take this field trip or does it depend on the school?

7. Do 3rd years spend most of their time studying for university?

「1. How long does each semester last?」
The school year starts in April in Japan, and each semester is roughly half a year.

「4. OKAY SO: Do the girls volleyball team have tournaments and do they go to nationals? Are nationals optional?」
Yes, there are national-level tournaments for girls' volleyball. However, that doesn't mean every team in the country competes in the national tournament. Winners of local tournaments advance to prefectural and/or regional tournaments, and then the best team from those advance to the nationals.

So if you're asking "Are nationals optional?" in the sense of "Does every girl who plays volleyball have to compete in a national tournament?" the answer is no. The ones who play well earn the right to compete at nationals.

If you can read Japanese, you can easily Google a random high school in Japan, and the school's official website will provide all your answers as an example. But here are some rough answers from me.

1. Some schools have 3 semesters while others have only 2, so divide the year with those numbers.

2. 3. Just as it is for all in-school exams, the 3rd year students typically take their final exams at the same time as the other students. The final exams are typically held in early March. Most university exams would be finished by then. So, most students know what they would be doing after they are granted graduation, before they know for sure that they are graduating.

4. Already answered by other poster. And just to add, tournament volleyball is optional to begin with. Most if not all students do play volleyball in physical education, but to play in a tournament, you need to join the school volleyball team, and you can only do that by becoming a volleyball club member of the school.

5. If you are talking about sports club members, it depends on the club. A lot of times it's the end of June. And it's not just about members studying for university, but for all 3rd year students. Summer vacation starts mid July, by the way.

6. There are too many to write.

7. Well, in any country, everything you've been studying since you were born leads to higher education. But if you're asking when they really start to focus on the entrance exam tricks, it depends on the student and what kind of exam the student is aiming for.