• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Halfway Anywhere

Halfway Anywhere

  • About
  • Blog
  • PCT
  • CDT
  • Hikes
    • Arizona
      • Arizona Trail
      • Buckskin Gulch/Paria Canyon
      • Royal Arch Loop
    • Australia
      • Outback Bicycle Tour
      • New South Wales
        • The Coast Track
      • Tasmania
        • Federation Peak
        • Frenchmans Cap
        • Mount Anne Circuit
        • Overland Track
        • Western Arthurs Traverse
    • California
      • Cactus to Clouds
      • Kings Canyon High Basin Route
      • Southern Sierra High Route
      • Trans-Catalina Trail
    • Brazil
    • Japan
      • Alps Traverse
      • Fuji Area
      • Hokkaido
      • Hokuriku
      • Kansai
      • Kita Alps
      • Kyushu
    • Nepal
      • Everest Base Camp
      • Three Passes Trek
    • New Zealand
      • Ball Pass Route
    • Oregon
      • Timberline Trail
    • Washington
      • Wonderland Trail
  • Gear
    • Current Gear List
    • Gear Reviews
    • Gear Lists
    • PCT Gear
    • Best Backpacking Quilts
    • Best Satellite Messengers
    • Best Sun Hoodies
    • Best Thru-Hiking Shoes
    • Best Thru-Hiking Socks
    • Deals & Discounts
  • Surveys
    • PCT Survey
      • PCT Survey Results
      • PCT Gear Guide
      • PCT Resupply Guide
      • Women’s Gear Guide
      • Couples’ Gear Guide
      • Demographic Breakdown
      • PCT Horror Stories
      • PCT Hiker Advice
      • PCT Social Issues
      • All PCT Survey Articles
      • PCT Survey Sign-Up
    • CDT Survey
      • CDT Survey Results
      • CDT Gear Guide
      • CDT Resupply Guide
      • CDT Horror Stories
      • CDT Hiker Advice
      • All CDT Survey Articles
      • CDT Survey Sign-Up
    • JMT Survey
      • JMT Survey Results
      • JMT Gear Guide
      • All JMT Survey Articles
      • JMT Survey Sign-Up
  • Contact
    • Say Hello!
    • Support

How Vacation Time (年休 Nenkyu) Works In Japan

By Mac 5 Comments

I used to think the United States had problems with vacation time from work (“I still do, but I used to too” -MH).

Now that I have been able to experience Japan’s take on vacation time, or 年休 (nenkyu), I have realized that things could be far worse in the States of United America.

Now before you go on to read (and become infuriated), know that the scope of my expertise in this area is limited to my own personal experience: the observations of a foreign teacher in a public Japanese middle school (junior high school) in Fukui Prefecture.

Japan Attendance Sheet
An “attendance sheet” that you stamp in Japan – because apparently nobody here believes in computers.

Let’s say you want to take a vacation. Great! Let’s see how much vacation time you’ve got. Ten days? Fantastic! That’s sixteen days when you include weekends. Plenty of time to get away from work and forget that you’re trapped in a sad and terrible place.

But you’re a teacher in Japan, you can’t just take time off. That’s alright though, because you’ll make up for it when you get all of summer, winter, and spring vacations off. No you won’t. During breaks when class isn’t in session you are still required to be at work doing teacher things (like staring blankly into a computer screen – or tirelessly working on your blog).

Instead of using their vacation time for actual vacations, Japanese teachers use their vacation time hours, or even minutes, at a time (as opposed to taking days off. For example, I am currently looking at corner of a staff room whiteboard that I just today realized is for listing which teachers are taking vacation time and for how long (because you must be shamed for missing work).

So what does this board currently say?

  • TEACHER 1: 1 day
  • TEACHER 2: 2 hours
  • TEACHER 3: 4 hours
  • TEACHER 4: 3 hours 45 minutes

Wait, what? Two hours? Four hours? Three hours and forty-five minutes?

What were these times on the board for again? Vacation time? Three hours and forty five minutes of vacation time? Yes, three hours and forty five minutes of vacation time. Why? Well that’s a complicated question.

Japan School Vacation Nenkyu Board
Another day’s “vacation time shaming board”.

You see, teachers in Japan generally arrive at work before eight each day (how long before eight I am not sure since I have yet to arrive more than fifteen minutes early) and stay until into the evening (until eight, nine, or later – I suspect some stay the night).

Apparently teacher working hours officially end much earlier than this (at four?), but teachers “volunteer” their time beyond what is asked of them in their contracts to stay and assist with the school’s various club activities and sports teams (I LIKE SOCCER / I WANT TO BE A SOCCER PLAYER / SOCCER IS ENJOY). Many teachers also work at least one day each weekend with their extracurricular activity (if not both days).

This means that teachers don’t have time to do things such as go to the bank, visit the post office, see their doctor, or take care of their children. So how do they make time for these things? They use vacation time, of course!

That’s right, vacation time (for teachers) in Japan basically exists as a way of allowing them to miss work only when they absolutely have to (i.e. to take their child to the hospital or go to the dentist). The vacation time allotted to teachers in Japan is more of a bureaucratic loophole for missing work than it is an actual attempt at allowing time off.

Japan School Day Schedule
School ends early today? Not for teachers! Unless of course…vacation time!

Here are some examples of times it would be acceptable to use vacation time:

  • The students all have a half day and go home at noon. You may use a half day of vacation time to leave at noon in lieu of sitting in the office the rest of the day.
  • You have the internet installers coming to your house at three. You may use an hour of vacation time to meet them and allow them to install your internet.
  • Your mother is coming to visit you and needs a ride from the train station to your house at one. You may use an hour of vacation time to pick her up and take her to your home before returning to work.
  • It’s spring/summer/winter break and there are no classes. Vacation time may be used to avoid coming in and doing nothing all day.

This is in no way an exaggeration or misrepresentation of how nenkyu 年休 is used in Japan (that means vacation time if you haven’t been paying attention). Teachers can basically only use it during times they wouldn’t otherwise be working (but would still have to be at school because of “working hours”).

So if you’re thinking about applying to the JET Programme and coming to “educate” Japan’s youth into speaking your native language, just remember that you will be entering a strange and irrational world where logic and reason are axed in favor of strict adherence to rules no matter the circumstance.

You'll Like These Too:

Share this post:

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on WhatsApp Share on Email

Japan,  JET Culture,  Japanese,  School,  Work

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
guest
5 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Primary Sidebar

Most Recent Posts

  • Women’s Gear Guide for the Pacific Crest Trail (2022 Survey)
  • The Best Thru-Hiking Shelters for Couples (2022 PCT Survey)
  • Hayduke Trail Gear List: Everything You Need to Hike Across Utah
  • Continental Divide Trail Hiking Advice for 2023 (& Beyond)
  • Continental Divide Trail Horror Stories (Class of 2022)
Backpacking Gear Pacific Crest Trail Continental Divide Trail Mac's Backpack

Footer

STAY IN TOUCH

You've made it this far, you're either into this site or you're still looking for something. Either way, best to sign up for my newsletter, yeah?

NAVIGATION

  • Recent Posts
  • Backpacking Gear
  • Continental Divide Trail
  • Pacific Crest Trail
  • Brazil Trekking
  • Japan Trekking
  • Nepal Trekking
  • New Zealand Trekking
  • Tasmania Trekking

LEGALESE

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright © 2023 · Halfway Anywhere