In Japanese schools, ceremonies are held on March 25 and April 6 each year to mark the end and beginning of the school year. The 11 days between these two ceremonies is spring vacation. Unlike summer and winter vacations, kids don't get any homework during this time and no school-sponsored events are held. How do Japanese middle school students spend their spring break? Let's take a look at three examples from one year. Ryoko Ikari, a seventh grader at Minami Oya Middle School on the outskirts of Tokyo, is a member of the school tennis club. A tennis tournament for Tokyo middle school students will be held in late April, so she will use the free time to train intensively--five days a week--to prepare for this event. Kanako Kobayashi, also a seventh grader at Shinozaki Daini Middle School in Tokyo, loves animals. She owns a pet hamster, since dogs and cats aren't allowed in the apartment where she lives with her family. "I want to read lots of books about animals over spring vacation," she says. Kanako is already listing the books she plans to read. Takumi Kato of Aoto Middle School in Tokyo is in the ninth grade, which means he will be moving on to high school in April. He passed the entrance exam for the high school he wants to attend, which he took on February 23. With a load off his mind, Takumi says, "I'm going to have loads of fun over spring break. There are so many things I want to do!" He says he hopes to get together with his friends and go to the movies, sing karaoke, and have a barbecue party. He also wants to play computer games, which he had been keeping away from for several months to concentrate on studying for the exam. One middle school teacher explains that spring break is a very busy time for the students, "since seventh and eighth graders have to get ready for the next school year, while ninth graders have to prepare to move on to high school." In reality, though, there are lots of different ways of spending spring vacation, as the examples above show. But there is one thing that Ryoko, Kanako, and Takumi all agree on: "11 days is way too short!" Photos: Going out on picnics, playing games at home--each child enjoys the vacation in his or her own way. (Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Kyodo)

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