Junior high school in the 90s

I really hope you could answer my questions, since doing online research isn’t enough. It’s easier to write when you know everything, you know?

So, here’s a list of things I just want to confirm.

1. How long does it typically take to go to go school? What’s the usual time range? 1 to 2 hours?

2. Can they bring skateboards to school? If they can, where do they put them?

3. Who are the school staff? (Principal to teachers)

4. What were the subjects back then? Are they different from the subjects today in Japan? And do every year (1st, 2nd, 3rd years) study the same subjects?

5. How many class hours during Saturday for junior high school students?

6. Do sports and martial arts clubs have club rooms? Or do they just hang out in the fields and gyms?

7. What do you usually see in school hallways?

8. Do members in a sport (like soccer) that aren’t on the team need to practice? Are they as active?

9. What are the school events that every school in Japan participate on?

10. What do they usually talk about in Homeroom?

1. How long does it typically take to go to go school? What’s the usual time range? 1 to 2 hours?

Typically, you need to be at school by 8:15 am.
If it's a public school in your designated district in a city in Japan, I would say from 1 to 30 minutes. An average would be a 10 minute walk.
If it's a public school in your designated district in a rural area, or if it's a private school, it can take anything from 1 minute to a couple of hours, and you might be using buses and trains. In rural areas, you are often allowed to commute using bicycles.

2. Can they bring skateboards to school? If they can, where do they put them?

In a typical Japanese junior high school in the 1990s, no, you were not allowed to bring skateboards. Skateboards weren't popular to begin with.

3. Who are the school staff? (Principal to teachers)

I don't understand the question. There is indeed a principal and many teachers.

4. What were the subjects back then? Are they different from the subjects today in Japan? And do every year (1st, 2nd, 3rd years) study the same subjects?

They were generally the same as today and throughout the 3 years. For decades, the 5 basic subjects have always been Japanese, math, science, social studies and English (as a foreign language). Then there would also be things like music, home economics and technology, physical education and morals. If you can read Japanese, Google 中学の時間割

5. How many class hours during Saturday for junior high school students?

In the '90s, Saturdays were already established as a day off at school.

6. Do sports and martial arts clubs have club rooms? Or do they just hang out in the fields and gyms?

It depends on the school. And mind you, very few junior high schools had/have "martial arts clubs".

7. What do you usually see in school hallways?

https://www.google.com/search?source=univ&tbm=isch&q=%E4%B8%AD%E5%AD%A...

8. Do members in a sport (like soccer) that aren’t on the team need to practice? Are they as active?

Do you mean members in a sport club that weren't selected to play on the next tournament? Yes, they need to practice, and they are expected to be active. Mind you that club activities are optional, so if you don't want to be active, you are free to quit the club. Club activities are, of course, totally different from physical education class.

9. What are the school events that every school in Japan participate on?

Google "school events at a Japanese junior high school".

10. What do they usually talk about in Homeroom?

Whatever that needs to be discussed as a class on that day.

By the way, do you watch Japanese movies and TV shows staged at junior high schools? Most of them are accurate as far as your questions are concerned.

I hope it helps.

Thank you! I’ve learned a lot from you. I didn’t know martial arts weren’t popular in junior high before. Or skateboards. I also thought they stopped Saturday classes in 2002, so thanks for clearing that up.

And what I mean about the third question was who are the school authorities? Like the Principal, Vice Principal, (the school administrator?) Do they have a guidnace councelor because I’ve never noticed one?

I’ve been trying to find good tv shows and anime interesting enough that I can immerse in and learn about Japan’s culture and school ethics, but so far there’s none.

I also thought they stopped Saturday classes in 2002, so thanks for clearing that up.

Sorry for being misleading. I double-checked and remembered that this was how it went:
First of all, many private schools (especially Christian ones) had Saturdays off even way before the '90s. As for public schools, classes on Saturdays always ended right before lunch time until in 1992 when one Saturday per month was stated as a day off. Then in 1995, 2 Saturdays a month became days off. And in 2002, all Saturdays became days off. The following official information from the Ministry is just for reference. I remember now that it arose a lot of issues back then.
https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shougai/week/index_b.htm

And what I mean about the third question was who are the school authorities? Like the Principal, Vice Principal, (the school administrator?) Do they have a guidnace councelor because I’ve never noticed one?

The head of the school was/is the principal, then there was/is the vice principal. Each homeroom class had/has its teacher, and among them there was/is a chief teacher for each grade. This "gakunen-shunin" teacher seems to be called "year-head" teacher according to the dictionary.

There always has been a teacher in charge of (while teaching his/her subject) what we call "seito-shidou". I notice this is typically translated as "student guidance", but it's different from what we call a "school counselor". The "seito-shidou" teacher mainly made sure that the students follow the school rules and made sure no student violates other students.

Meanwhile, a "school counselor" would accept students and parents to come to his/her office to discuss mental issues like, "I feel left out" or "Me and my mom don't get along" etc. I recall that school counselors were brought into the schools circa 1998, and they were always someone from outside the school who would only come at a certain day of the week. You were also free to make appointments to visit your city hall to talk to your local school counselor.

Before that, the school nurse also played the role of the school counselor, and still does.

A public junior high school would also have a teacher in charge of "shinro-shidou" (career guidance), because, in Japan, compulsory education is only up to junior high. Once you graduate, you are expected to either apply for higher education or a job career, and both typically require entrance exams. So a teacher will guide you on that process.

Like any organization, a school organization is complicated and it differs depending on the school or municipal. I can't explain every bit of it, but I hope it clarifies some of your questions. By the way, I'm sure you know that the '90s brings you right in the midst of "yutori ed".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yutori_education

One of the most typical TV shows staged at junior high was NHK's 中学生日記 (Read "Chuugakusei nikki", not to be confused with 中学聖日記) which was a long-running show shot in Nagoya, Japan. The only inaccurate thing about this show is that everything from school uniforms to values was Nagoya style except for the dialect.
https://www2.nhk.or.jp/archives/search/special/detail/?d=youth017

Thank you for elaborating on the Saturday classes and everything else. And I’ll look up that show you suggested. You’ve been a big help! Thank you so much!