Club Activities (JHS)

On most days starting at around 3:00 pm students who are part of a club will begin practicing around the school. Classes are finished, cleaning time is over and for most ALTs that meas that you have about 1 - 2 hours of down time. There's nothing wrong with staying in the teacher's room and working on a project, planning with teachers or studying Japanese. But I've heard many ALTs say that the most rewarding use of this time is to join-in or just watch the students practicing with their club members. And you can do the same!

There are some variations between schools, but if you're wondering what kind of clubs there are, here is a near-complete list of the standard clubs at most junior high schools in Yamagata:

baseball, tennis, soft tennis, soccer (football), volleyball, badminton, table tennis, judo, kendo, swimming, water polo, track and field, rugby, softball, brass band, art club, photography club, computer club, English club, others?

Not all schools offer the same club activities, so don't be surprised if this list is different from the clubs at your school. In addition to the club activities, there are annual city-wide tournaments for the sports clubs that ALTs get to go to. They are usually held over the weekend at different locations in Yamagata City. On these days, you will go to cheer the students at their events and then receive substitute holiday days on the following Monday and Tuesday.

Finally, I wanted to show you this great video, taken from a junior high school in Isesaki Japan. I think it gives a nice glimpse of how some of the sports clubs practice in Japanese schools. I noticed some differences between what I've encountered in Yamagata junior high schools, but I thought this video did a good job of giving a general overview.

Got specific questions about your school? Be sure to email your predecessor, or post a comment below.