To express period and frequency—in other words, to say how many times something happened per day, week, and year, and so on—we need the a counter with the target particle. See here for an introduction to counters in Japanese.
【Period】に【Number】【Counter】
This structure is most often used with the counter 回, which means “times” (e.g. I go back to my hometown 3 times per year”).
週に5回。 |
Five times per week. |
年に2回に実家に帰る。 |
To return to your hometown twice per year. |
周に本を3冊読みます。 |
To read 3 books per week. |
Note the position of the object particle—before the counter.
In fact, the target particle is often omitted.
週4回ジムに通う。 |
To go to the gym four times per week. |
年2回海外に行きます。 |
To go abroad twice per year. |