<think>Okay, let's see. James writes a 3-page letter to 2 different friends twice a week. I need to figure out how many pages he writes in a year. Hmm. Let me break this down step by step.

First, I need to understand exactly what the problem is asking. So, James is sending letters to two friends each time, and he does this twice a week. Each letter is 3 pages. Right? So, per week, how does that add up?

Let me start with one week. If he writes to 2 friends twice a week, does that mean he writes two letters per friend each week? Wait, maybe not. Wait, the wording says: "to 2 different friends twice a week." So, does he write twice a week, each time sending a letter to 2 friends? So, each time he writes, he's writing two letters, one to each friend. And each of those letters is 3 pages. So, twice a week, he writes 2 letters, each 3 pages. So, per week, how many pages is that?

Let me visualize this. Let's say, on Monday, he writes to Friend A and Friend B, each receiving a 3-page letter. Then on Thursday, he does the same again: writes to Friend A and Friend B again, each 3 pages. So per week, that's 2 times (two days) where each day he writes 2 letters. Therefore, per week: 2 times per week * 2 friends = 4 letters per week. Each letter is 3 pages, so 4 letters/week * 3 pages/letter = 12 pages per week. Is that right?

Wait, another way: Each time he writes, he sends letters to 2 friends. If he does this twice a week, then total letters per week are 2 (times) * 2 (friends) = 4 letters. Each letter is 3 pages. So, 4 letters * 3 pages = 12 pages per week. Yes, that seems correct.

Then, to find the yearly total, we need to multiply the weekly pages by the number of weeks in a year. But here, a common question is: how many weeks are in a year? Typically, we consider 52 weeks in a year. Sometimes people approximate with 52 weeks, even though 52 weeks * 7 days = 364 days, and a year is 365 or 366 days. But maybe for simplicity, the problem expects 52 weeks.

So 12 pages per week * 52 weeks = 624 pages. Is that the answer? Wait, but let me verify my steps again to check.

Breaking down again:

- Number of times he writes per week: twice (two different occasions)
- Each time, he writes to 2 different friends. So, each writing occasion involves 2 letters.
- Therefore, letters per week: 2 occasions * 2 letters per occasion = 4 letters.
- Pages per letter: 3
- Pages per week: 4 * 3 = 12
- Pages per year: 12 * 52 = 624

Yes, that seems right. Wait, but just to make sure, maybe it's 365 days divided by 7 days per week? Let's check: 365 days / 7 days/week ≈ 52.14 weeks. But depending on the problem, they might just use 52 weeks. Unless specified otherwise, 52 is standard. So 12 * 52 = 624 pages.

Alternatively, if we use 365 days, how many weeks is that? 365 / 7 ≈ 52.14 weeks. So, but since he writes twice a week, regardless of the day count, maybe the exact answer could be different if we count the exact number of weeks in a year. Wait, but "twice a week" implies he does this 52 weeks, so 52 * 2 occasions. But each occasion is 2 letters. Therefore, 52 weeks * (2 occasions/week) * (2 letters/occasion) * 3 pages/letter.

Alternatively:

Total occasions in a year: 52 weeks * 2 occasions/week = 104 occasions

Each occasion: 2 letters

Total letters: 104 occasions * 2 letters = 208 letters

Pages: 208 letters * 3 pages/letter = 624 pages.

Same as before. So even if the year is 52.14 weeks, if he strictly writes twice every week for 52 weeks, then 624 pages. But if he writes twice every week for 52 weeks and those extra days, but the problem doesn't mention anything about leap years or extra days, so perhaps 624 is the right answer.

Therefore, after careful breakdown and verification, the answer should be 624 pages per year.
</think>

James writes letters to 2 different friends **twice a week**, with each letter being **3 pages**. Here's the step-by-step breakdown:

1. **Letters per week**:  
   - 2 friends per occasion × 2 occasions per week = **4 letters/week**  
2. **Pages per week**:  
   - 4 letters/week × 3 pages/letter = **12 pages/week**  
3. **Pages per year**:  
   - 12 pages/week × 52 weeks/year = **624 pages/year**

By systematically calculating the pages for each step, we confirm the final answer:  

\boxed{624}